Old Witches Don't Fade Away
by Jrandom42
Summary: What happens to witches whose magical power is fading away? This is Audrey Gains' story as she returns from Nam, and realizes her time as a combat flying witch is coming to an end. Many Thanks to Empty Promise for creating Audrey, and for a great deal of encouragement. Reviews are always welcomed!
1. Chapter 1

Old Witches Don't Fade Away

October 1990

King Khalid Air Force Base Saudi Arabia

23rd Tactical Fighter Wing

HQ 74nd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Flying Tigers"

The paperwork headache was finally getting to Audrey. In frustration, she pounded her desk.

Sergeant Bowers stuck her head in and asked, "Is everything okay, Colonel?"

Audrey sighed. "I'm fine Sergeant, just got a headache from all this paperwork. Could you get Major Simmons in here? I think she may be on the flight line."

Sergeant Bower saluted. "Sure thing, Colonel!" she tossed over her shoulder as she headed out of Audrey's office.

Audrey signed the last of the requisitions on her desk, and gazed in slight wonder at the empty in basket. Taking a gulp of the cold coffee in her mug, she wondered how full it would be tomorrow morning.

The squadron had flown into King Khalid six weeks ago as part of the Desert Shield build up. It had been chaotic, with a lot of the local population torn between admiration and respect for the witches as soldiers and pilots and the tenets of their religion about a woman's place in their society. Being witches that wielded magic as a weapon of war didn't help. But once they showed that magic could be used for beneficial purposes, much of the conflict eased.

Getting the squadron personnel settled down, all of the striker units and aircraft housed properly and then all the ammo, fuel, parts and all the other associated parts and pieces of a tactical fighter squadron ready to fight was a huge task, one that Audrey relied on her staff and personnel to get done. Now that everything was finally in place, a kind of routine settled in.

A witch wearing an A-10 striker rolled down the runway with a thunderous roar and took off on a training flight over the Arabian desert. Audrey watched her climb and turn with sharp pangs of envy. She knew she was well past the age for combat, but it still hurt watching young witches flying after all these years. She leaned back in her chair, and remembered.

Summer 1971

Davis-Monthan AFB Tucson AZ

355th Tactical Fighter Wing

357th Tactical Fighter Squadron

Audrey came back from Vietnam, lauded as one of the heroes in the fight against the Neuroi in the jungle. She was sent to Davis-Monthan, in hope that she would get qualified on the new A-7D strikers, that had replaced the old trusty/rusty A-1Es. She found that they fit and flew even better for her than the old Sandys. Finally, she'd get to fly jets!

It wasn't until her second flight physical after returning, that she started to become concerned. She was almost 20 then, and had found herself struggling to muster enough magic to both fly and put up credible shields at the same time. She knew she was coming to the end of her combat flying career and it terrified her. The Air Force, flying, fighting was all that she had known and grown up with. Giving that up was unthinkable. She had heard the rumors of witches who had flown and fought well into their 50s, compensating for the waning of their magic with a combination of experience, skill and a rigorous physical training regimen.

So, Audrey tried, she really tried. Soon, she was running 20 miles a day and lifting weights for 3 hours a day. But, after a while, she was so exhausted and physically broken down, that she was down to 120 pounds from her normal weight of 150. Finally, the flight surgeon confined her to bed and put her on a 5,000 calorie a day diet. It took four months before Audrey was certified as fit for light duty. The next hurdle was the flight physical.

For the most part, the physical showed that she was in the best shape of her life. Her cardiovascular activity was at its highest point in her career. Same went for her reflexes, stamina, and almost every other physical attribute. When the flight surgeon began testing her magical utilization and capacity, Audrey began worrying. She felt herself straining, that it felt like the magic just wasn't there like it was when she was younger. The flight surgeon spent more minutes going over Audrey's test results and scribbling notes almost furiously in her medical folder. She finished her notes and stood up. "Come with me, Captain" she said as she went back into the corridor and turned right. Being addressed by her new rank was still a shock to Audrey. She had just received her promotion last week, with Brigadier General Cassidy, the wing commander, doing the honors of pinning on her new bars.

The doctor led her to a door at the end of the hallway. She opened it, gestured to Audrey to go in. "I'll be back soon" the doctor said as she closed the door. Audrey looked around the room. It was totally featureless, with a hardwood floor, reminding her of a handball court. Two hidden doors at waist level opened on opposite sides of the room and began firing tennis balls at her. To her credit, Audrey's reflexes were excellent. She dodged the first volley of the cross fire and threw up her shields, her fox ears and tail appearing as she connected to avatar, a red fox. Two more hidden doors in the remaining walls opened up and began firing more tennis balls at her. She threw up more shields trying to summon more magic, but the tennis balls were starting to leak through. After a minute more, her shields failed, pelting her with tennis balls. Once her shields fell, the onslaught stopped, leaving Audrey standing amid piles of tennis balls, sweating and gasping for air. The door opened, and the doctor appeared.

She said, "We're done with your physical today, Captain. I'll be reporting my results and recommendations to General Cassidy when I'm finished. Take the rest of the day off, and report to your squadron CO tomorrow morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Audrey walked out of the room in a daze. She nodded mutely to the doctor, her mind a swirl of thoughts and despair. She would be 21 in a few months, old for a combat Witch. Magic seemed to diminish with age and no one could explain why. It just seemed to be like one of those immutable laws of magic. Witches who couldn't summon the magic to create effective shields in combat were casualties waiting to happen. The ones who survived to her age had been honorably discharged with full pension and benefits at their last rank _._

 _Are they going to discharge me? Is that why I was promoted?_ she thought miserably. The Air Force, flying and fighting was her life, ever since she was selected for primary flight school when she was 10. What was she going to do with the rest of her life? Audrey left the clinic, dark thoughts, despair and fear swirling through her mind and imagination.

Audrey was never sure how she got back to her room. She mechanically stripped off her uniform and undid her hair, letting it fall down below her shoulders. She headed to the shower, looking forward to a long luxurious hot shower. She scrubbed herself so vigorously, her skin turned pink between her freckles. She thoroughly shampooed and conditioned her hair, and finished up by scrubbing her face. She dried off, and got dressed, picking out a blue bra, her squadron T-shirt and a pair of blue bikini cut shorts. She dried her hair and then turned to the mirror on the wall as she started brushing it out. As she brushed her hair, she smiled at the reflection of herself. Her hair was glorious, her one claim to beauty. It was a lustrous red with golden highlights, and it was rich, full and thick.

The same couldn't be said of her face. It was triangular, with high cheekbones, a long aquiline nose, and a pointed chin all of which were sprinkled with freckles that she hated. It made her look much younger than she actually was, especially with her big green eyes. She grimaced again at her face, finished brushing out her hair, and then tied it back in a ponytail with a blue ribbon. She slipped her feet into a pair of sandals, picked up her purse and left her room.

Arriving at the Officer's Club, the question occurred to Audrey. Dinner or Drinks? It was seafood night in the dining room, something she normally wouldn't miss, especially since they were serving sautéed prawns and grilled halibut, two of her favorites. But today had been a really fucked day, so she headed into the lounge. The doorman just nodded to her. The Air Force had different regulations for the Witches in many areas. One was that any Witch who was a commissioned officer could go into the lounge area of any Officer's Club. Those under 16 had to be accompanied at all times by one over 18. Those under 14 were not allowed entrance under any circumstances.

Taking a seat at the bar, Audrey waved at the bartender. A big burly man with thinning grey hair and a craggy face smiled at her, and said, "What'll it be, Captain? You still celebrating?"

Audrey sighed, "Not today, Jack. Things went really FUBAR. Give me a double Wild Turkey, straight."

The bartender gave her a skeptical look as he poured the drink. "You sure about this, Captain? I always worry about you flyers." He said.

Audrey shook her head. "Don't worry, Jack. I'm not on the flight schedule and I probably won't be for a while." She said, bitterly.

She tossed back the drink in one gulp. The fire of the bourbon burned its way from her tongue to her stomach, causing her to cough twice. Her head started floating slightly above her neck, the room tilted precariously, and the warmth reached her fingertips and toes. Her mind fogged up slightly, dulling the pain, despair and fear. This is what she needed now, she thought.

A cheery voice from the front of the lounge shouted, "Yo, Boings!" Audrey cursed under her breath. She hated that nickname, which had followed her from Advanced Flight School. That was the year she grew 10 inches, and her figure blossomed, especially her chest. It got so bad that she couldn't button her shirts properly. One of her flight instructors marched her to the base exchange, where she made sure Audrey was properly fitted with the right size bras and shirts. This was followed by teasing and jokes about air resistance and weight distribution. Amidst all this, someone had tagged her with the nickname "Boing Boing" or "Boings" for short. She REALLY hated it.

Audrey turned around to see Mary Ann Williams, the best friend she had since Primary Flight School. Mary Ann was short, blonde and chunky. Her chest was almost as big as Audrey's, which is why she got tagged with the nickname "Juggs" "What's happenin', Juggs? She slurred slightly.

"Heard you had your flight physical today. How'd it go?" Mary Ann asked in a breezy tone.

Audrey bowed her head, tears trickling down her face. In a low voice, she said "I passed the physical part easy. I fucked up the magic part. I failed the shield test really badly. Doc's gonna ground me permanently, and then the Air Force is going to discharge me and cut me loose." She choked, as she started sobbing quietly.

"That test is Bullshit! It doesn't come close to anything we've faced in real life! I'm certain you can protest the test results to General Cassidy, and keep flying!" Mary Ann exploded.

Audrey sobbed harder. When she managed to pull some of her composure together, she found a napkin and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She looked sadly at her best friend and said quietly. "Thanks, Juggs, but it isn't going to change anything. You know the Doc has always done her best to keep witches flying as long as she can. If she's going to ground me, it means it's really over. I'm almost 21, and we know that's old for a flying Witch. If it isn't this physical, it'll be the next one or the one after that. I just don't know what to do. The Air Force, flying and fighting is all I know, and all I've been good at. What am I supposed to do? Settle down and become someone's wife and mother?" Turning to Jack, she said, "Give me another, Jack! I'm not numb enough to be drunk yet!"


	3. Chapter 3

Jack poured Audrey another drink, as he gave Mary Ann a significant look. Mary Ann nodded slightly, and Jack visibly relaxed as he put a glass of club soda on ice for her on the bar. Audrey and Mary Ann had been together since Primary Flight School where they had been bunkmates. They stayed in the same classes through Advanced Flight School, and had even failed the same tests for jets, with their scores within percentage points of each other. They both qualified on the Skyraiders and were sent to Vietnam in 1965 as part of the same squadron. The only time they weren't around each other, was when Audrey went back for a second tour in 1967 and Mary Ann stayed stateside in a non-flying role. Audrey and Mary Ann considered each other as "the sister from another mother".

Audrey downed the drink in a single gulp again, not coughing this time. The room tilted as if she banked a 7G turn at full throttle. She swayed on her bar stool, falling against Mary Ann, who caught and steadied her. Audrey started sobbing uncontrollably again, her shoulders shaking. Mary Ann hugged her, rubbing her back gently, whispering quietly in her ear. Something Mary Ann whispered to her caused Audrey to start giggling, laughing and then roaring, until she began to hiccup. Mary Ann had a hurt and offended expression as she exclaimed, "What's so funny about that? I think it's a great idea! After all, witches aren't found under cabbage leaves or precision bombed by storks!"

Audrey managed to stop roaring with laughter and stop her hiccups. She found another napkin and wiped her eyes and blew her nose again. She smiled drunkenly at Mary Ann, gesturing to herself. "Get real, Juggs! Last time I checked it takes a guy to do the deed as well! Look at me! What guy is going to find me attractive, of all people?!" she slurred at Mary Ann.

Mary Ann looked closely at her best friend in the world. Audrey was tall with long shapely muscular legs. She was broad shouldered with a spectacularly impressive bosom, trim waist, and compact hips. Her hair was her crowning glory, with its red-gold highlights, falling in soft waves around her shoulders, when she had it down. Her face was very attractive, triangular in shape, with her high etched cheekbones, straight well shaped aquiline nose, slightly pointed chin, and a dusting of freckles on her cheeks and nose. Her big luminous green eyes added to her appeal. All in all, Audrey was very pretty, in a wholesome, down to earth way. Mary Ann exclaimed, "You're beautiful, Boings! Lots of guys would love to be with you! Just like that cute crew chief who's so sweet on you!"

Audrey started sobbing again as she swayed precariously on her stool. Jack took away the glass in front of her and said, "I'm sorry, Captain. I know you aren't flying, but I'm cutting you off for tonight." He looked at Mary Ann and said. "Lieutenant, can I count on you to see her home safely? Mary Ann slid smoothly off her stool, pulled Audrey to her side, and started making for the front of the bar. Turning her head back to the bar, she said cheerily, "No problem, Jack! I'll get her home and tuck her in. Put her drinks on my tab. I'll see you tomorrow to settle up." Audrey swayed against Mary Ann as they made their way to the BOQ, but Mary Ann held firmly to her. Audrey started sobbing quietly again. Exasperated, Mary Ann grumped, "Gods, you're a sloppy, weepy, lightweight drunk, Boings! You're gonna owe me big time!"

Opening her room, Mary Ann steered Audrey to her bed. She peeled back the blanket and sheet and sat her down on the bed. She bent down and pulled off Audrey's sandals. Next, she pulled off the T-shirt, untied Audrey's hair and took off her bra. Then she pushed Audrey down, and turned her on her left side before pulling the sheet and blanket over her. Mary Ann then stood up, hesitated for a moment, then put the trash can next to the bed near Audrey's face. Mary Ann found a small pitcher and cup as she went to the bathroom. She filled them with water, and set them on the nightstand. As a final gesture, she checked and set the alarm clock for 30 minutes before reveille. As Mary Ann crept out the door, the stentorian snores from the bed confirmed that Audrey was out for the night, as early as it was.

The shrill ringing of the alarm clock shocked Audrey awake instantly. Before she realized what, she was doing, she tossed the blanket and sheet aside and rolled out of bed to her right. She slipped, fell, flailing her arms. As she flailed her arms, she dumped the pitcher of water that was on the nightstand on her bare torso. The shock of water hitting her bare flesh drew a shriek that was audible above the insistent shrill rings of the alarm clock. Finally standing up, Audrey grabbed the noisy alarm clock and flung it as hard as she could against the concrete wall, where it shattered with a loud crash. _Crap_ , she thought, _what a fucked up way to start the day,_ as she stalked her way to the bathroom, a pounding headache coming on with a vengeance. She stripped off her bikini shorts, and grabbed a towel to dry off. Coming back into her room, she used the towel she had to sop up the rest of the spilled water. Throwing the soaked towel in the laundry hamper.

Audrey opened her wall locker and started getting dressed. First bit of clothing was the regulation OD green bikini panties, followed by a bra. Next was a t-shirt. Audrey checked her OD green uniform shirt, making sure her new rank insignia was properly placed before putting it on. Next came the green ankle socks and the black shoes. Audrey turned and looked in the mirror, as she started brushing out and braiding her hair. Securing the braid with a small tie, she coiled it tightly against the back of her head and secured the coil with a couple of bobbie pins. The last things she needed were her flight chronometer watch, her dog tags, which went around her neck and inside her t-shirt, her wallet, and finally her squadron baseball cap. Finally dressed, she stepped out of her room, locked it and headed for the squadron ready room.

Arriving a few minutes ahead of roll call, Audrey got a couple of aspirin, a cup of so-called coffee flavored sludge, and sat down. She swallowed the aspirin, and took a swig of the coffee, cussing as the hot liquid burned her tongue. After roll call, Colonel Donavon, the squadron CO, stood up and said, "Listen up, ladies! Just a couple of announcements. We're on a 72-hour maintenance stand down now. The Vought contractors are out here to check the strikers and our maintenance procedures. You got any gripes, now's the time to speak up! So, no one is flying in the meantime. Last announcement. Captain Gains!" Audrey's head snapped up, and she cussed as she spilled some coffee on her hand. "Yes, Sir?" she said.

Colonel Donavon smiled, and said, "You're supposed to report to the Wing Commander's office at 0900."

"Wing Commander's office, 0900, got it, Sir!" Audrey replied, shaking her burned hand.

"Until then, you can hang out in the ready room, or maybe get some breakfast. Just be there." Colonel Donavon continued, "That's all for now, ladies. The rest of you are scheduled to assist the ground crews and the contractors on their work. They'll be here at 0830, so get ready!"

Audrey headed to the mess hall. The fact that she didn't have dinner last night was balanced out by the queasy uneasiness of her stomach. She settled for scrambled eggs and wheat toast along with orange juice. The scrambled eggs settled the queasiness, and she discovered how hungry she was. Audrey went back for more scrambled eggs, wheat toast, and added ham to it. Topped off by 7 glasses of orange juice, she was starting to feel human by the time she finished. A check of her watch told her it was before 0700, so she made her way back to the ready room, and settled down in one of the leather chairs.


	4. Chapter 4

As Audrey sat there, something Mary Ann said last night nagged at her. What kind of guy would want to marry a Witch? Her thoughts immediately turned to her parents. Her mother, Janet, was an emergency room nurse at Harborview Medical Center. Her father, Tim, was a Seattle cop patrolling a beat in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, a rough neighborhood, filled with hard-working, hard-drinking, hard-fighting, Baltland fishermen, lumberjacks and industrial workers from the nearby shipyards and the Boening plants.

As the story goes on how they met, (told by both her mother and father, with differing details), Tim had brought in a critically injured 6-year-old boy to Harborview. The emergency room doctor took one look at the boy, gestured Janet over, and said "Do your thing. If you can stabilize him, we've got a chance". Tim was surprised, as Janet held out her hands over the boy and her ears and tail appeared as she connected to her avatar, a mountain lion. Under the blue glow of her healing magic, the bleeding slowed, his breathing became more regular, and his color improved. Janet stepped back, and the doctor and another nurse jumped in, saying "Excellent work, Janet! Chalk up another one!"

Janet slumped as Tim caught her, steering her to a chair. The doctor turned his head, and told Tim, "Get her something to eat and drink!" Tim ran to his patrol car, and found a stale apple fritter and his thermos Giving them to Janet, she tore into the fritter and slurped down the coffee. "I'd thank you, but they're both pretty terrible," she grumbled. "Tell you what, as soon as both of us are off shift, I'll treat you to dinner" Tim said. Janet gave him a speculative look. "Dinner and…?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Just dinner, ah…Janet", Tim stammered, looking at her name tag. "Dinner it is, if I get to pick the place. How about Dick's?" she said with a smile. "TTThat'll bbbee great!" Tim stammered. And as Audrey had heard the story, that was the beginning of the Gains family.

Audrey thought more about her father. Why had he married a Witch? To hear him tell the story, it didn't matter if Janet was a Witch. As a policeman, Tim Gains had a reputation for being hard-nosed, thorough, practical, and skeptical, but with an insight and perception that marked exceptional cops. As a father, he'd been protective of Audrey and her sisters, but allowing them to make mistakes, He was also very strict, and set the rules down in no uncertain terms. That insight and perception he had as a cop, was also turned on his family, making it difficult to keep secrets from him.

The more Audrey thought about it, the less it seemed being a Witch had anything to do with finding and marrying the right guy. After all, there wasn't anything to distinguish her from any other young woman in Liberion, except when she called forth her magic and connected to her avatar. Then the ears and tail of a northern red fox would appear.

Audrey's intrinsic magical gift was a variation of the Magic Eye, the ability to pick out what she needed from all sorts of clutter. Her sisters hated it, and would proclaim loudly "NO MAGIC!" when it came to puzzle contests. She used her gift to great effect in Nam, being able to pick her targets out against jungle foliage and camouflage, and deliver her payload on target. But, if her mother was right, finding the right guy depended more on what kind of person she was, not her magical capacity.

Audrey was pulled back to the present, when all of her squadron mates stood up and headed to the hangers. She checked her watch. 0825, time to head to the Wing Commander's office. Arriving early is always a good thing, especially to receive bad news, she thought. Arriving at the base's main administration building, she went to the top floor, and found herself outside the Wing Commander's office some 15 minutes early. The Lieutenant who served as General Cassidy's secretary looked up and said, "The General will be ready to see you in about 10 minutes, Captain Gains. Please take a seat."

Audrey sat down and did her best not to fidget. Her mind is swirling in a storm of nervousness, tension, despair, anger and frustration. Undoubtedly, the flight surgeon is in there with the General, telling him that Audrey is finished as a flying Witch, and that she needs to be separated from the Air Force ASAP. What was she going to do? Audrey did finish her aeronautical engineering degree, but more as a promotion aid than with any real intent to use in in the civilian world. The Air Force was her world and life since she was 10. There was nothing else, as far as she was concerned. There had to be a place in it somewhere for her!

There was a beep from the intercom on the secretary's desk. She looked up at Audrey and said, "General Cassidy is ready for you, Captain. You can go on in. "Audrey stood up, and walked slowly to the office door. She knocked twice, and a gravelly voice said, "Enter." She opened the door, marched to within 5 paces of the desk that dominated the room. She came to attention, saluted as sharply as she could, and in her clear alto voice said, "Captain Audrey Gains reports, sir!" The man sitting at the desk stood at attention, returned the salute just as sharply, and said, "At ease, Captain, have a seat." Audrey sat in the chair to the left of the desk. It was then she noticed someone in the chair to the right. It was the flight surgeon.

General Cassidy sat, and gestured to the flight surgeon. "Doctor Chandler, can you go over the findings of Captain Gains' flight physical?" he said, in that characteristic gravelly voice of his. "Certainly, General" Dr. Chandler replied. She pulled a folder out of the briefcase beside her chair, and reached in her white coat for a pair of reading glasses. She put on the reading glasses, and opened the folder.

Dr. Chandler's posture changed, and in a formal tone of voice, she said, "These are the latest findings of Captain Audrey Gains' last flight physical, and my recommendations concerning her flight status. Captain Audrey Gains, born October 9, 1950. She has been a member of the US Air Force for 10 years, 9 months. At the time of her most recent flight physical, she measured 5 feet 9 and ¼ inches tall. She weighed 148 pounds. Her body fat index is 18.75%. Her resting pulse rate is 59 beats per minute. Her blood pressure is 116/67. Her O2 saturation is 97.6%. Her vision has been checked, and is 20/15. Her hearing threshold is 47 dbs. Her upper body strength has increased by 13%, and her lower body strength has increased by 21% since her last flight physical. Her reflex timing tested at 9% faster than their last test 2 years ago.

Dr. Chandler took off her glasses and continued. "A year ago, Captain Gains put herself through an extraordinarily rigorous physical training regimen, that saw her running 20 miles a day and lifting weights for 3 hours a day. In five months, she lost over 30 pounds, her body fat index fell below 14%, her periods stopped for 3 months and was going through a physical breakdown that necessitated hospitalization for 16 weeks. During the hospitalization, she was confined to bed rest, and put on a 5,000 calorie a day diet, to rebuild her body, after enduring prolonged physical stress. Her periods returned, and have been regular over the past 3 months. She had recovered and was on limited duty for two weeks, before being certified fit for regular duty. Her weight is still some 10 pounds below what is ideal for a young woman her age, height and build, and her body fat percentage is lower than I like, but both are in the range considered normal. Given that, Captain Gains appears to be in excellent physical health, provided she sticks to her diet, and MODERATE physical training." She said, giving Audrey a stern look.

General Cassidy's face was a stern, unreadable mask. "Did Captain Gains give a reason why she put herself through such rigorous physical training?" he asked, in a formal tone.


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Chandler replied, "Captain Gains has been aware of the diminishment of her magical capacity for a couple of years. She has apparently heard the rumors that a rigorous physical training regimen could increase magical capacity of aging witches."

"Is there any truth to those rumors?" General Cassidy asked.

Dr. Chandler sighed and emphatically shook her head. "None whatsoever, General" she declared. "It's one of those old Witches' tales that have been around for a long time. Magical capacity, the amount of magic a witch can call on, is innate. It's something a witch is born with, and there are no known ways to increase that. Magical utilization, the ability to use what magical capacity a witch has, can be enhanced by good physical conditioning. Apparently, Captain Gains mistook an increase of magical utilization for an increase of magical capacity, a common misconception."

Dr. Chandler continued. "Right now, in her current physical condition, Captain Gains' magical utilization is around 96-97%. That's about as high as it will ever get. Her magical capacity though, is about 85% of what she had at age 16, the age when the magical capacity and utilization of a witch normally peaks. Magical capacity diminishes with age; no one can explain why. We normally see the greatest drops in magical capacity between the ages of 19-23. After that, the magical capacity of a Witch tends to levels out between the ages of 25-30, although large drops in capacity are not unknown in that age bracket. After age 30, magical capacity of a Witch stabilizes, and normally no significant changes of capacity are seen, until a witch is in her late 60s-early 70s."

"Doctor, you mentioned the figures for Captain Gains' magical capacity and utilization. What effect would those figures have on any combat role for Captain Gains?" General Cassidy asked.

Doctor Chandler hesitated, and then spoke in a formal detached tone. "Captain Gains has diminished magical capacity from just two years ago. However, she is able to maximize the utilization of that capacity. The greatest effect is the diminished ability for Captain Gains to put up effective shields in a combat situation. The old saying from the First Neuroi War was 'the shields are the first to go', and it's been true for any witch deployed in any combat role beyond a certain age."

She continued. "Right now, tests show Captain Gains can only summon up enough magic to produce shields that are 75% effective compared to the ones she could produce 2 years ago, and her ability to sustain them against continued attacks has similarly diminished. As her magical capacity decreases, there will probably be a steep drop in the effectiveness of her shields. The greatest fear is that her shields will fail at a critical moment and that she will be killed or critically wounded as a result."

"Doctor, given the results of Captain Gains' flight physical, what are your official recommendations?" asked General Cassidy, his face unreadable mask, his tone remote, formal and official. A cold hand squeezed Audrey's heart and gut. _NO! Dear God, please don't discharge me! I won't know what to do!_ she prayed.

Doctor Chandler closed the folder on her lap and returned it to the briefcase. She took off her reading glasses and put them in a pocket of her lab coat. She straightened up, lifting her chin as she faced General Cassidy, and began speaking in the same remote, formal and official tone. "These are my formal recommendations. I am recommending that Captain Gains be restricted from any combat role, or any role where there is a possibility she could see combat. I further recommend that she be permanently grounded. Finally, I recommend that Captain Gains be processed for an honorable discharge, with full benefits and pension at her current rank."

Doctor Chandler relaxed her stance and continued in softer voice. "Unofficially, I would hope that Captain Gains would seriously think about settling down, getting married and starting a family. I think she would be an excellent mother." She continued, shooting Audrey a sympathetic look.

Audrey was starting to hyperventilate, her mind a swirl of despair. So, her Air Force career was over, just like that. _Tossed away like so much trash_ , she thought. The thought of going from a Combat Witch to a housewife left a sour taste in her mouth. She wouldn't be able to use her degree, having seen the contractors' attitude towards their female colleagues. What hope would she have? She had spent more than half of her life in the Air Force, surrounded by its structure and discipline, in the company of like minded girls and women. None of her accomplishments would mean anything on the outside. _Is_ _that all I'm good for now, the bearing and raising of the next generation of Witches?_ She thought bitterly.

General Cassidy's expression was still stern and unreadable. In the same remote, formal and official tone, he said, "Thank you Doctor, for your recommendations. You're dismissed." Doctor Chandler stood up, picked up her briefcase, saluted General Cassidy, shot Audrey another sympathetic look and left the office.

Audrey was sunk in her misery and pain. This had to be a nightmare. When was Juggs going to wake her from this? She was concentrating so much on her own despair, she never saw the general get up from his desk, poke his head out the door to say something to his secretary, close the door, pour a glass of water and offer it to her. Pulling herself back to the reality, she pasted on a smile to hide the pain and misery, accepted the glass of water, and sipped it carefully.

General Cassidy went back around his desk, and sat in his chair, straight and upright, as if at attention. His face was still a stern, unreadable formal mask. "Captain Gains" he said in that remote, formal, official tone. He paused for a moment. He leaned forward, his forearms on his desk. His expression softened with a look of concern, and he said in a softer, less formal tone, "Audrey" Audrey's head snapped up to look at him in surprise. In all the time she'd been a member of the 355th, this was the first time he'd ever addressed her by her first name.

"Audrey" the General continued in that soft tone. "The Air Force needs you, if you are willing to accept a different role. You can't always be the one to 'squeeze the pickle'." referring to triggering the bomb release, known to close air support witches as 'squeezing the pickle' . "You've got at least 2,500 flight hours, with nearly half of those in combat. The Air Force needs what you know, what you've learned in all your flight hours and two tours in Nam against the Neuroi."

"What can I do, Sir? I'm just a 'mud mover'", giving the derogatory nickname air-to-air fighter witches had for those who flew close air support. "I even got shot down for all my troubles." Audrey almost wailed.

General Cassidy's expression settled into a slightly sterner one, and his voice took on a slightly sterner tone, reminding Audrey of her father, when he was 'laying down the law in no uncertain terms'. "Captain Gains, remember your first mission with the 166th on your first tour? The squadron lost 3 witches trying to hit a concentration of Neuroi walkers attacking an outpost on the Laotian border. What did you and Lieutenant Williams do? You found the walkers, hit them with enough napalm to slow their regeneration, letting the Marine gunners destroy their cores. Can you see Lieutenant Maxwell doing that on her first combat mission?"

Beverly Maxwell had just joined the 355th last month, and had been assigned to the 357th Squadron. She was 12 years old, a magical prodigy, who took great pride in being a hotshot flying witch, while pointing out how the older witches were "about to be sent to the glue factory". In reality, she was a wild card, reckless and unpredictable. She was also nervous, twitchy, high-strung,emotionally volatile, self centered and a general pain in the ass. She did have great magical capacity, but too often she relied on it to bail her out of situations that she could have avoided with some discipline and focus.

Audrey looked down at her feet. "She'd probably freak out. Land at Da Nang as fast as she could, and be on the first Pan Am flight back to Iowa, crying and screaming that she didn't sign up for this shit, sir" she said in a low tone, with a slight smirk.

General Cassidy's face split in a big smile as he roared in laughter. His laughter stopped after a bit, and his voice became serious and somber. "And that's why the Air Force needs you. The Air Force needs you to teach what you know and what you've learned, so that never happens. You'll be flying enough as it is, but not in combat. You'll have to teach them how to find the target, even though it's cloudy, rainy and camouflaged so well you wouldn't find it unless you tripped over it. You'll need to teach them how to carry on with the mission, even though half their squadron mates have been blown out of the sky. They need to learn how to outmaneuver a Neuroi fighter that bounces them at takeoff, when they're loaded down with munitions. That and a thousand other lessons that are best learned from you, and not by their own personal experiences."

Seeing Audrey's thoughtful expression, General Cassidy continued. "There's no need to decide right away. I'll give you some time to think about it. Again, you won't be flying strikers in any combat missions, unless absolutely necessary." The General's smile turned sly. "But there isn't any reason you can't fly combat missions like us poor non-magic folk, in a conventional aircraft. Unfortunately, if you do, you'll have to give up the bikini shorts and wear full flight suits like the rest of us."

Audrey was intrigued. It wasn't what she was currently doing, but it would keep her in the Air Force, she'd keep flying strikers on training missions, and maybe she'd fly combat missions in a real aircraft. She asked, "If I accept, what happens next, sir?"

General Cassidy smiled, a genuine smile this time creasing his normally stern face. "You'll be detached from your current squadron and assigned to the Wing's 'Train the Trainer' 16-week comprehensive course. Once you pass that, the Air Force will decide your next assignment. The Air Force has a fighter weapons school, based at Nellis AFB, an Air Force equivalent to the Navy's Fighter Weapons School that they call Top Gun. The Navy is only teaching air-to-air combat, while we are also teaching Close Air Support, as well as training the next generation of Wild Weasels. That's your probable destination, but it's up to the Air Force to decide. You now have a 5-day pass. Give me your decision next Tuesday. Dismissed, Captain."

Audrey stood, came to attention, and saluted sharply. General Cassidy also came to attention, and returned her salute just as sharply. She did an about face and strode out of the General's office. She put on her baseball cap as she left the main admin building. She checked her chronometer. It was almost 1200. _Time files when major changes come into your life,_ she thought.

Her mind started laying out her schedule for the rest of the day. Have lunch with Juggs, and tell her about the General's offer. Talk with Colonel Donovan about what she discussed with the general. Catch a nap after lunch. Then dinner at the O club with Juggs. She'd buy, since she owed Juggs for last night, especially since it was steak night. Pack a light bag and drive up to Flagstaff. Unwind a bit and call her parents while she was up there. And then be back by next Tuesday morning reville.


	6. Chapter 6

Getting line at the mess hall, Audrey didn't pay too much attention to what she got for lunch. By the time she got to the end of the line, she found she had a pastrami and swiss on rye sandwich, a big kosher dill, French fries, and two Cokes. She looked up and saw Juggs sitting at small table near the back wall. Setting her tray down, she saw that all Juggs having for lunch, was a salad, lemon wedges and a glass of water. Juggs weighed almost as much Audrey did, despite being more than 6 inches shorter, and was in a nearly constant battle to keep her weight down to an acceptable level.

Juggs noticed Audrey, and she looked up at her, the rueful expression she had looking at her lunch, changing to a tentative smile. "Yo Boings!" she said. "Howgozit? Judging from the fact that you're here for lunch, instead of at the O club, drinking yourself sloppy, I'll take that as a good thing! So, what happened?"

Audrey sat down, picked up her sandwich, took a big bite out of it, and another one out of the pickle and started chewing. Juggs was her best friend. Would she understand the choices that Audrey was contemplating? Audrey decided she's tell it straight to Juggs, rather than hedge or shade the facts.

She swallowed and said in a somber voice, "It was pretty rough. Doc Chandler went over all the results from my flight physical, and baldly said that I was a casualty waiting to happen, if I was kept on combat status. Said my shields aren't what they used to be and that they'd never get any better. Said that I could be critically wounded or killed, if my shields fail at a critical moment."

Audrey's face settled into a grim, angry look, her eyes flashing. She continued in an angry growl. "Then Doc Chandler recommended that I be barred from any role where I might possibly see combat. Then she recommended that I be permanently grounded. Finally, she recommended that I be immediately processed for discharge."

Audrey's face twisted into a sour, bitter expression, her eyes still flashing angrily. "Then she had the nerve to tell me to 'settle down, get married and start a family'. I haven't heard a planeload of dogshit like that in quite a while! Who does she think she is, telling me what to do with the rest of my life? Leaving out the fact that I don't even have a boyfriend, the thought of kids right now just makes my skin crawl and turn my stomach! I remember my mother telling me, when I was being 'difficult', that one day, I'd have kids just like me! She called it the 'mother's curse', and she's almost never been wrong on such things!" she hissed angrily.

Juggs looked up from her salad, chewing thoughtfully. She smiled and started chuckling. Audrey was outraged. "This isn't funny!" Audrey almost shouted at Juggs.

Juggs smiled her teasing, mischievous smile and said in a chuckling tone, "Doc Chandler was wrong! There IS something wrong with you! I figured you'd punch her out 0.025 seconds after those words came out of her mouth! The fact that she's still walking around without a mark on her, tells me there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with your reflexes!"

Audrey covered her mouth with both hands to keep from bursting out in giggles. Dammit, Juggs had done it to her again! Whenever Audrey had been down, frustrated, angry or just feeling like the world was ganging up on her, Juggs would say something ridiculous that would get her to smile or giggle, even while they were on missions. It was one of the things that she loved most about her and made her such a valuable friend.

Juggs threw her head back and laughed out, drawing looks from the other diners, not that she cared. In her characteristic cheery voice, she laughingly said, "Gods, Boings! I thought you'd bust a gasket talking about what Doc Chandler recommended. And when she recommended you find a guy and have kids, I thought you'd rather get bounced by a bunch of Neuroi heavies! But, seriously," and Juggs stopped laughing, leaning towards Audrey and started speaking seriously, with no trace of humor. "Is there anything wrong with settling down with a guy, getting married and having kids? You're not one of….?" And she left the sentence dangling incomplete.

Audrey took another bite of her sandwich and pickle, and chewed thoughtfully. She swallowed and took another bite of the sandwich and pickle and slowly chewed even more thoughtfully. She and Juggs knew Witches who preferred being with other Witches, sometimes forming strong emotional, even physical bonds with each other. Part of it seemed to be the fact that the Striker squadrons were almost all female, and most Witches had only limited contact with men who weren't part of the chain of command or family. Despite the Liberion government's ban on same-sex relationships in the military, they seemed to be more common among the Witches. Like many other things, the armed forces looked the other way concerning such things about Witches, provided the participants were discreet.

Audrey had seen the consequences of a lack of discretion. When she was stationed at Myrtle Beach AFB, between her first and second Nam tours, Audrey met Lieutenants Margaret (Maggie) Parker and Shelly (Whirlwind) Storm. Both just graduated from Advanced Flight Training and were on their first permanent assignment. Apparently both Maggie and Whirlwind were intensely attracted to each other. Their relationship progressed to the point where neither of them could keep their hands off the other.

Finally, the hugging, kissing and other things got out of hand, with a most flagrant display of public affection that bordered on pornographic. The Squadron Commander was forced to step in. He laid it all out to them. It was apparent that they couldn't be discreet about their relationship, so there were only two choices. Either be stripped of their commissions and discharged from the Air Force for "conduct unbecoming of an officer' or accept a Permanent Change of Station of no less than 3 years away from each other. Both Maggie and Whirlwind accepted the Permanent Change of Station. Maggie would be sent to Kimpo AFB in Kita. Whirlwind would be going to RAF Alconbury in Brittania. They were given less than two weeks to get packed, move and report in.

The more Audrey thought about it, while she and Juggs had been close friends for over half her life, that's all they were. Moreover, Juggs never indicated that she wanted anything more than that. Audrey also never felt any kind of attraction to other Witches beyond friendship.

Audrey smiled and replied to Juggs. "No, I'm not" she said cheerily. "I just haven't found the right guy to settle down with. I'm still young, so there's still time.

Juggs smiled, heaving a sigh of relief. "Okay! So, what did General Cassidy say, once Doc Chandler laid her recommendations on him? Was he ready to blow a gasket too?" she asked eagerly.

Audrey laughed, shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. He kept his Stone-Face expression the whole time Doc Chandler was talking. He just thanked her for her recommendations and dismissed her." She went on. "The General talked about my experience, and how the Air Force needs me to teach the new Witches coming in all that I learned. He reminded me of our first mission with the 166th. Remember that?" She nodded at Juggs' shudder and smiled somberly. Fortunately, it was long enough ago that she was able to smile about it now.

Audrey continued in a somber voice. "Remember what a jugscrew it was? We lost Helen, Grace and Kelley trying to take down those walkers. Remember how we managed to lay down all of our napalm on them? He asked me if Beverly Maxwell could do the same on her first CAS mission. I told him she'd probably fly as fast as she could to Da Nang, catch the first flight home to Iowa, crying and screaming that she didn't sign up for this shit." Both Audrey and Juggs got a good laugh out of it all.

Audrey sobered and continued quietly. "He said that I needed to make sure that doesn't happen. That it would be up to me to teach the newly graduated Witches what to do and how to do it when everything goes all to hell. Said I could stay in the Air Force, if I could accept that I wasn't going to be the one to 'squeeze the pickle' and that I would be teaching those who would. "

Audrey looked at her chronometer. Speaking briskly and in a businesslike fashion, she said, "We gotta get going, Juggs. We've both got thing to do. I've got to report what the General and I talked about to the CO. You've got to get back to the contractors. Tell you what, let's meet for dinner at the O club. My treat. I do owe you for last night."

At Juggs' skeptical look, Audrey declared, "Look, having toast for breakfast and salads for lunch isn't going to do you any good, if you don't get enough protein and carbs to keep you going during the day, At least, that's what Doc Chandler keeps telling me. We'll meet at the O club about 1730."

During the conversation, Juggs finished her salad, and Audrey finished her sandwich, pickle and fries, much to Juggs' disgust and envy. Both picked up their trays and turned them in. Putting on their baseball caps, they headed back to the squadron area, the summer Arizona sun beating down on them relentlessly. After a few minutes, Juggs' face was already red and sweating, and Audrey could feel her legs and the back of her neck already starting to burn. _Gods, it must be over 110 already. Screw this 'dry heat'_ _business_ _, it's freakn' HOT! And I_ _just HAD_ _to forget my sunscreen this morning, on top of everything else!_ She thought sourly.

Arriving at the squadron area, Juggs headed to the hangers, while Audrey went to the squadron administration building. Audrey darted in the building quickly, shivering in the cooler air conditioned atmosphere. Arriving at the squadron commander's office, she turned to the sergeant that was his secretary. "Is Colonel Donovan in?" she asked. The sergeant checked her notebook, and said. "He's currently in the hanger, talking with the contractors. He should be back soon. You can have a seat and wait for him,."

Just as Audrey sat down, Colonel Donovan arrived, wiping sweat off his forehead. Charging through to his inner office, he said, "Come on in, Boings! Let me get a cold drink and we can sit and talk."

Audrey went in the inner office and took a seat. Colonel Donovan was pretty easygoing and normally didn't stand on military formalities within his squadron. But there was no doubt who was in command, and everyone knew the right times to respect the man, rank and position. Colonel Donovan swept in, set his bottle of Coke on his desk, and dropped in his chair.

Colonel Donovan started talking in his rapid-fire manner. "So what's going on, Boings? I got a call from General Cassidy before lunch, that you're going to be transferred out of the squadron. Is there something going on that I should be aware of?"

Audrey took a deep breath. This conversation was going to be more difficult than she first thought. She brought up her head and looked Colonel Donovan in the eye, and started speaking almost mechanically. "Sir, Doctor Chandler shared the results from my last flight physical with General Cassidy. While I'm in good physical shape, my magical capacity is dwindling. The doctor is of the opinion that my shields are ready to fail and get me either killed or wounded during a mission. She's recommending that I be barred from any role that might see combat, that I be permanently grounded and processed for discharge. "

Audrey looked down at her shaking hands. She started speaking quietly again. "Sir, General Cassidy accepted her recommendations. But then he said that the Air Force still needs me. That I had to share what I know and what I've learned over the years with the new Witches coming out of Advanced Flight Training. He said that I needed to teach the new Witches what to do and how to do it when everything goes to hell, especially the stuff that's not in the 'Book'. He's offered me a slot in the Wing's 'Train-the-Trainer' program, the long course. Said that I might go to Fighter Weapons as an instructor, but that's up to the Air Force. He gave me a week to think about it, and a five day pass."

Colonel Donovan gave Audrey an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Boings. I knew something like this was coming, and I didn't do anything to help you. What can I do?" he said quietly. Continuing on in his brisk style., he said. "This brings up an immediate problem for the squadron. Who's going to be Alpha Flight leader? Any suggestions, Boings?"

Audrey replied immediately. "I think Lieutenant Williams would be an excellent replacement for me as Alpha Flight leader. She's got the experience, the leadership, the flying skills and organization to keep things going. She should also be due for promotion soon, and her magical capacity seems to be holding steady for now.. I think she would be a good flight leader, sir."

Colonel Donovan arched an eyebrow skeptically. "And how do you think she'll deal with Maxwell, when she pulls another boneheaded stunt and fails to bail herself out with magic?" he asked, in a sardonic tone.

Audrey smiled, and replied in a cheery voice, "She'd probably slap her silly, and tell her to grow up and act like a real Witch or go home. Juggs has absolutely no patience with bullshit, sir."

Colonel Donovan barked out a short laugh. "Maybe that's what she needs to kick her butt in gear, and quit acting like someone's special snowflake princess!" He quieted and continued. "Juggs is a fine damn Witch and I will take your recommendation under advisement. I think that covers it, Boings. You're dismissed."

Audrey stood up, came to attention, and saluted Colonel Donovan. He came to attention and returned the salute. Audrey did an about face and strode out of the office. Coming to the main door of the building, she put on her baseball cap and stepped out into the intense heat. By the time she got to the BOQ, she was hot, sweaty, and miserable.

Finally getting to her quarters, Audrey immediately stripped off all her clothes, took down her hair, and made a beeline for the shower. While showering, the tingling in her legs reminded her that she probably got sunburned there. _Time for Bactine again_ , she thought. Patting herself dry, she sprayed her legs and arms with Bactine. As the stinging burn eased, she gently applied lotion to the affected areas. She fished a pair of red bikini shorts out of her wall locker, and set about drying, brushing out and securing her hair. The last thing she needed to do was to call the BOQ admin office and set a wake up call for 1700. After getting all that done, she threw herself down on her bed and was snoring within minutes.


	7. Chapter 7

The shrill ringing of the phone got Audrey up out of bed and on her feet almost instantly. She grabbed the phone receiver and snapped, "Gains Here."

The voice at the other end replied cheerily, "Captain Gains, this is your 1700 wake up call."

"Acknowledged" Audrey grumbled as she slammed down the receiver. She started getting dressed. She put on a red bra, another squadron T-shirt, followed by white ankle socks and running shoes. She hastily brushed out her hair and tied it back in a messy ponytail. Audrey grabbed a tube of sunscreen from the drawer in her nightstand and applied it liberally to her arms, the back of her neck, face, and legs. She then strapped on her chronometer, put her dog tags around her neck, picked up her wallet and keys and put on her baseball cap, before leaving and locking her room.

Arriving at the O club, Audrey noticed that Juggs hadn't arrived just yet, so she took the opportunity to get a good table, away from the kitchen. She sat down and the waitress delivered two menus and place settings along with 2 glasses of water. She sat, and sipped her water, waiting for Juggs. Juggs blew in a few minutes later. She was wearing a dark tank top, brown bikini shorts and sandals. She was red, sweating and looking like she was on her way to a decent sunburn.

Juggs flopped down in the chair opposite Audrey. "Man! I **hate** Arizona summers!" she exclaimed loudly. She grabbed the glass of water in front of her and downed it in one long drink. Juggs picked up the menu, skimmed through it, and said, in a resigned voice, "I guess I'll just have a side salad with lemon wedges."

Audrey grabbed and opened a menu. "No, you're not, Juggs! You're going to have a proper dinner! You had toast for breakfast and a salad for lunch. I'll order for you, if you won't order a decent meal.'

Looking up at the waitress, who had appeared, order pad and pencil ready, Audrey, in her authoritative voice, said, "My friend will have the petite sirloin, medium rare, baked potato naked, and the steamed vegetables. She'll have water to drink" She looked at the menu again. "I'll have the large porterhouse, medium rare with mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. I'll have coffee, sugar, no cream." She noticed Juggs glaring at her. "What?" she asked.

"I hate you", Juggs growled at Audrey. "Here I am, trying to lose weight, and you're eating like there's no tomorrow! If Doc Chandler is so intent on fatting you up, I'll gladly donate 10 pounds to you! Then we'd both be perfect!" she grumbled.

Audrey glared back at Juggs in exasperation. "Look, Juggs" she declared. "My mom used to tell me stories when I was growing up, about how witches would lose their magic, if they didn't eat properly. She pointed out that throughout history, witches seemed to disappear in times of famine. I thought it was just another Old Witches' tale full of bullshit. So, during my flight physical two years ago, I asked Doc Chandler about that."

Audrey shook her head and said, "She told me that this is one of the Old Witches tales that are true. She said that when you eat a lot less, your metabolism slows down. When that happens, witches start losing their ability to use or control magic. If they keep on not eating, it gets worse until they can't use any magic at all. Even if they start eating enough again, their ability to use magic won't come back for months, sometimes years or maybe not at all. Why do you think the Air Force feeds us so well?"

Audrey gave Juggs a hard look, narrowing her eyes and started shooting sharp questions at Juggs, like an attorney cross examining a reluctant witness. "How long have you been on this diet? Haven't you been having control problems recently? And hasn't your striker been gone over by your ground crew and passed all their checks?"

Juggs looked down at her place mat and began speaking quietly. "Yeah, I've been having problems. I just can't seem to generate enough thrust, for one. My takeoff runs are taking longer than normal, but I thought that was due to the heat. And there's been this weird pitch problem that seems to come and go. I thought it was all the striker's problem. It never occurred to me that the problem could be my magic."

Just then, the waitress arrived with their meals. "Here we go," she announced cheerily. "For you, petite sirloin, medium rare, naked baked potato, and steamed vegetables." setting a plate in from of Juggs. She set the other plate in front of Audrey. "And for you, large porterhouse, medium rare, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. I'll be right back with your coffee, sugar, no cream. Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked.

Both Juggs and Audrey looked down at their respective meals. They both looked delicious, and smelled even better. Audrey replied, "We're fine, thank you!" Both of them grabbed their utensils, and attacked their food. Audrey dug in enthusiastically, the steak, mashed potatoes and corm were just perfect.

A third of the way through her food, Audrey looked up and saw that Juggs was already finished, and looking sheepishly at her totally empty plate. "I guess I was kinda hungry. I think I do feel better now" she said, in a small voice. Audrey couldn't help laughing at that. "Keep that in mind when you have breakfast tomorrow morning." she said, with another laugh.

Audrey finished her dinner as the waitress delivered her coffee. The dinner was just about perfect; it tasted great, and was just enough to leave her feeling full, but not overstuffed. She leaned back, sipping her coffee. Juggs leaned forward, and asked, excitedly "So what else did General Cassidy say?"

Audrey took another gulp of her coffee. How was she going to tell Juggs she was leaving the squadron today? They'd been assigned together for most of their Air Force careers, and the times they were apart were hard on both of them. They both seemed to need the daily interaction with each other; letters and phone calls just didn't seem to cut it. They were best friends, confidants, unindicted co-conspirators and teammates, each of them boosting the others' strengths and covering their weaknesses. In many ways Audrey was closer to Juggs than her own sisters. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

Audrey took one last gulp of coffee and set down her cup. In a mechanical voice, she stated, "General Cassidy offered me a slot in the Wing's 16 week 'Train the Trainer' course if I want it. He said I might be assigned to Fighter Weapons School, if I finish well. He said I didn't have to decide what I wanted to do right then, so he gave me a 5 day pass. I'm supposed to report back next Tuesday morning with my decision."

Juggs gave Audrey a speculative look. "Fighter Weapons, you said? Talk about tough! You do realize the Commandant is "Jabby" Jablonski, don't you? You're gonna have your work cut out for you! I heard she's really tough to work for."

Audrey sat there, stunned. Maj. Gen. Catherine "Jabby" Jablonski was a legend in the Air Force. She became one of the youngest aces of the latter days of the Second Neuroi War, after coming out of Primary Flight School. The second leading ace during the Kita Conflict, she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor when she shot down 7 of 9 Neuroi medium fliers that bounced her. The remaining 2 had shot up her Sabre striker so badly, she had to make a hard landing. The resulting explosion and fire critically injured her, forcing the amputation of her right leg.

After being awarded the Medal of Honor, "Jabby" publicly petitioned the Secretary of the Air Force to remain on active duty, which he granted. She was made an instructor at the Air Force's Fighter Weapons School, where she totally revamped the curriculum on air combat maneuvering.

"Jabby" had been appointed Commandant some years later, and had transformed Fighter Weapons into the finest school of its kind in the world, teaching Witches the most advanced concepts in all areas of aerial combat, drawing heavily on the experience of its instructors. Other nations would send their most promising Witches through Fighter Weapons, just to gather some of the expertise offered there. General Jablonski had earned a reputation for being tough, blunt, strong minded, skeptical, driven, stern, uncompromising and being very demanding of both students and instructors in her drive for excellence.

Juggs glared at her. "Great!" she exclaimed heatedly "You're leaving! So who gonna be Alpha Flight leader now?"

Audrey smiled mischievously. "That's up to Colonel Donovan, but I've recommended you." she said, quietly.

The look of astonishment on Juggs' face was epic. Her eyes flew open wide, her jaw dropped and no words came out of her mouth for a few seconds. She managed to close her mouth and blink a couple of times before she managed to say anything.

"WHAT?!" Juggs shouted, drawing looks from all over the dining room.. She continued in a panicked babble. "You gotta be shitting me, Boings! NO WAY! NO! NO! NO! NO! I can't do it! I CAN'T BE ALPHA FLIGHT LEADER!" Her expression changed to a panicked, trapped look, as she kept babbling incoherently on how she couldn't do it.

Audrey smiled her sweetest smile at Juggs. She leaned forward, speaking in her most persuasive and encouraging voice. " Look, Juggs, other than me, you've got the most flight hours in the squadron. Half these girls don't have more than 200 hours yet! Also, you're the only other one of us who's seen any combat. Your magic is holding steady, at least when you aren't starving yourself. And I've heard you might be up for promotion sooner rather than later. I think you'd be a great flight leader, and Colonel Donovan agrees. At least give it a shot."

Juggs finally calmed down, but she still looked like she was still panicking beneath the surface. Her face clouded over. "So that means I'm going to be responsible for Maxwell, right? What do you think I should do about her? Magical prodigy or not, I'm sorely tempted to slap her silly if she fucks up again and have her flying a desk!" she grumbled.

Audrey settled back in her chair, satisfied she'd sold Juggs on the idea of being Alpha Flight Leader. She smiled, and replied ot Juggs. "Well, you'd be her superior officer, so you should do what you think is right."

Juggs gave Audrey a hard look. "You've already decided what you're going to do, haven't you?" she asked in an accusing tone. Her face relaxed and in a lighter tone she asked "So what are you going to do? Be an instructor? And what about your pass? I can't imagine you'd want to hang around here the whole time. Are you going home to see your family?"

Audrey shook her head. "Yeah, I've already decided. I'm going to do the instructor path. No, I'm not going home. There isn't enough time to spend more than a couple of days and I want to have more time with my family. I'm thinking of driving up to Flagstaff, spend some time relaxing and calling my family from there. I'll be back here Tuesday to give my answer to General Cassidy." she said.

Juggs started to stand up, but Audrey put out a hand to her. "Wait a sec" she said. "Aren't you going to stay for dessert?" Her smile turned sly. "They've got Chocolate Decadence cake tonight. You wouldn't want to leave and not share a last dessert with your best friend, would you?" she said in her most persuasive voice, knowing that Juggs couldn't resist a good gooey chocolate dessert.

Juggs sighed. "It's going to be your fault, if I can't fit into my striker." she said, in a resigned voice. She sat down, and the waitress came over to take the dessert order. Audrey looked at the waitress and said, "Two Chocolate Decadence cakes with ice cream and hot fudge!" The waitress left immediately and returned, carrying a tray with the desserts.

The Chocolate Decadence cake more than lived up to its name, especially with the ice cream and hot fudge. Both Juggs and Audrey barely managed to finish the last bits, now so full, they felt like they'd burst if they ran into a sharp object. They leaned back in their chairs, talking, reminiscing, crying and laughing. The understanding that this was probably the last time they would be together like this, passed between them unspoken, and they both refrained from talking about the future.

Leaving the O club, they were still talking about where they'd been, what they did, the odd events that made their memories and the bizarre individuals they've met. They walked slowly, as if neither of then wanted this moment to end. Coming up to their rooms in the BOQ, Audrey impulsively pulled Juggs in a tight hug. Juggs hesitated for a moment, before returning the hug with equal intensity.

Fighting to keep from bursting into tears, Audrey whispered, "I'm gonna miss you, Juggs. You keep Maxwell in line, and you deliver, 'on time, on target'." 'On time, on target' was their unofficial slogan.

Juggs was also fighting to hold back tears, as she whispered back, "Gonna miss you too, Boings. Beat some sense into those newbies, and you deliver 'on time, on target..', too."

Juggs went down the hallway to her own room, not looking back at Audrey. Audrey opened her own room, tossed her keys and wallet on her desk, and threw herself down on her bed, She burst into tears, sobbing hard into her pillow. The last time she cried like this, it was on the bus taking her from home to Primary Flight School. Just like then, her life was changing dramatically. It had to, she couldn't stay where she was. She hoped she was making the right choice. She sat up, blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She then got up, took off her chronometer and dog tags. She then took off her shirt and bra, undid her hair and took off her socks and shoes. She crawled under the covers and was asleep in minutes.

Audrey woke up an hour before reveille. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and got dressed quickly. A purple U of W t shirt, purple bikini shorts, purple ankle socks and her running shoes made up her outfit for today. She put on her chronometer and dog tags, then stuffed her wallet and keys in her shorts pockets. Digging through her wall locker, she pulled out a small duffel bag. She tossed in her bathroom items, two changes of clothes, a pair of hiking shoes, her travel alarm clock, and sunscreen into the bag. She zipped up the duffel, slung it over her shoulder, and headed out, locking her room behind her,

Walking out to the parking lot, Audrey smiled as she headed to her car. It was a 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible, painted a sky blue. She bought it after coming back from her second Nam tour, from a mechanic who was forced to sell it by his wife, who had just read Ralph Nader's "Unsafe at Any Speed". Audrey had read it as well. To her, it seemed like Nader had an ax to grind about General Motors. Volkswagens and Porsches all had the same handling problems with swing axles ,but no one wrote books about their problems.

Audrey's car was a special factory model, with an upgraded suspension and steering as well as a turbocharged engine. The previous owner had done more tweaks to it, and proudly proclaimed it a "sports car eater". He demonstrated its acceleration, handling and braking, shaming Mustangs and Cameros along the way. On top of it all, it got great gas mileage. Needless to say, Audrey loved her car.

Audrey unlocked and opened the driver's side door. She threw her duffel onto the passenger seat, and began unlatching the top from the windshield. She rolled down both driver's side windows, went around to the passenger side and opened the door. She finished unlatching the top, folded it back and secured it. She then rolled down the passenger side windows, closed the door and got in the driver' seat.

She started the engine, and smiled at the burbling rumble of the exhaust, and the faint whine of the turbocharger. Audrey picked up a cassette tape and put it in the tape player. The opening bass beat of her favorite song came pouring out the speakers; Eric Burdon and the Animals and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." She smiled as she shifted into gear and drove out the main gate.

Audrey took the scenic route up Highways AZ-70 and AZ-77. It was longer, but she wasn't in any hurry and it would put her in Flagstaff around noon.. It was still relatively cool, and traffic was minimal as she left Tucson and hit the open road. She hit McDonald's for lunch in Payson, and arrived in Flagstaff just after noon. Finding a small motel on the south edge of town, she checked in and paid for 5 nights.

Getting into her room she threw her duffel on the floor, threw herself on the bed and was snoring in minutes. Waking up just before sunset, she remembered that she needed to call home after 9 PM.

The phone call home was problematic, Her father understood completely. Tim had to make a similar decision himself. Three years ago,he had been critically wounded in an attempted jewelry store robbery. His recovery and rehab had been long and painful, and in the end, he was given with a choice: retire or take a less physically demanding position within the department. Given that choice, Tim chose a desk job as an inventory officer.

Her mother was less understanding. Being more traditional, she was hoping Audrey would leave the Air Force, come home, get married and produce some grandchildren. The two of them often butted heads, with Janet stubbornly pushing the traditional path of marriage and children. Audrey, wanting to decide on her own path would protest vehemently. Some of their 'discussions' were conducted at the top of their respective voices. The conversation was tense, to say the least, especially after Audrey told her mother that she was staying in the Air Force.

Kerry, the older of her younger sisters, had inherited Janet's healing magic. She was excited about starting her freshman year at the University of Washington, and had been already accepted in the University's Combination Medical program, which combined magical healing and traditional medicine. She hoped to become a pediatrician or pediatric nurse.

Her youngest sister, Hannah, refused to talk to her, leaving Audrey to sigh over the capricious nature of magic. Not only would magic often skip generations, but it would also skip siblings. While Audrey and Kerry had inherited their mother's magical ability, Hannah hadn't. This seemed to create a permanent rift between the sisters, seemingly with no way to bridge it. Hannah was closest to her father, mainly because they were the only non-magical members of the family and also because she was the youngest.

For the next 5 days, Audrey played tourist. She spent 2 days at the Grand Canyon. She spent another day at the Meteor Crater. She spent another day at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. She thought about going to Las Vegas, but she wanted more than a couple of days to explore the city. Every night, Audrey went up to Lowell Observatory, gazing at the stars and planets through the telescopes in the clear night sky. She had a great time.

Sunday afternoon, Audrey packed her duffel, and set her travel alarm clock to wake her at 7AM. She wanted to get back to base early enough to get a good night's sleep and properly prepare to meet with General Cassidy Tuesday Morning.

Audrey was up before the alarm went off, and she was on the road in less than 10 minutes. She drove steadily, stopping only to get fuel. She arrived back at Davis-Monthan after 1 PM. She got back to her room, unpacked and then set out her laundry bag for pickup. She stopped by the dining hall for lunch, but didn't see Juggs or anyone else from her squadron.

After she finished a light lunch, Audrey went through and tidied up her room, made the bed with the fresh sheets that were delivered and got changed into her workout clothes. She hit the gym and lifted weights for an hour and spent more time in the steam bath, sauna and Jacuzzi. She got out, got dressed, and ran indoors for another hour. She got back to her room, and took a long shower, carefully shampooing and conditioning her hair. She got out of the shower, carefully dried and brushed out her hair and got dressed in casual clothes.

Arriving at the O club, Audrey went into the bar, foregoing seafood night. She sat at a table,and ordered a beer and burger and fires. She looked around and didn't see Juggs or any of her squadron mates. It was then that she realized that she already said her goodbyes and that life was moving on. Both her burger and beer arrived and disappeared quickly. When she got back to her room, she pulled out her dress blue uniform, She checked it to make sure it was in good condition, and that her campaign ribbons, Witch's wings, name tag and rank insignia were properly placed. Then she stripped down to her bikini shorts, crawled under the covers and picked up a trashy novel she'd been reading off and on for the past month. She fell asleep before she read 10 pages.

Audrey snapped awake two hours before reveille. She got changed into her running outfit and went out to run 3 miles. Coming back, she hit the dining facility for a light breakfast. Getting to her room, she showered and washed her hair again. She spent several minutes carefully drying and brushing it out. Pulling it back into a tight bun, she made sure it was secured properly with enough bobbie pins. She then started putting on her dress blues, making sure every item of clothing was properly set. She put on her chronometer and made sure everything was in her purse. Finally, she picked up her service cap and left her room.

By the time Audrey arrived at the base main administration building, reveille was just sounding. Every one in the Wing knew General Cassidy liked starting his day before or at reville. Getting to the top floor, she saw the door to the General's outer office was open. She stepped inside and saw the door to the inner office was open. General Cassidy was at his desk, going over some paper work. He saw her, and motioned her to come into the inner office.

Audrey came into his office and stopped in front of the General's desk. She came to attention, saluted, and said "Captain Gains reports, sir!"

General Cassidy stood, came to attention and returned Audrey's salute. He said, "As ease, Captain. What can I do for you?"

Audrey steadied herself. She was going to make a decision that would define the rest of her Air Force career, maybe her life. Again, she hoped it would be the right decision. She took a deep breath, and declared, "Sir, I've decided to take that slot in the Train-the-Trainer course that you offered me. I want to become an instructor."

General Cassidy's face split in a big smile. He reached down to his desk and picked up the sheaf of papers he'd been working on. "It just so happens that I have your transfer orders ready here." he said, handing her the papers. He continued, "You report to Building 1460 at noon to Lt. Col. Morris for orientation on the 16 week Train the Trainer course. For what it's worth, I think you'll make a fantastic instructor. Good luck, Audrey. You're dismissed" He stood up, came to attention and saluted her.

Audrey also came to attention and returned the salute. She did an about face, and strode out of General Cassidy's office, heading to her new and unknown future.

* * *

This marks the end of the pre-instructor arc for Audrey. Audrey now moves forward in a new direction for her life. She meets more amazing people and does more amazing things that have a profound effect on her personally and on the course of her life. Stay tuned.


	8. Chapter 8

Spring 1972

HQ US Air Force Fighter Weapons School

Nellis AFB

Las Vegas NV

Audrey sat in the Commandant's outer office, doing her best not to fidget nervously. She had reported in to base administration, carrying all her records. It took some time, but she got assigned quarters, issued a parking pass, and had her transfer orders acknowledges and filed. Both her medical and pay records were forwarded to their respective departments and receipt had been acknowledged.

Audrey was also given a map of the main base area, pointing out the locations of the BOQ, the O club, the Base Exchange, the Base Commissary, the Rec Centers, the clinics and hospital, Fighter Weapons HQ and the main hangers. By all military standards, she had completed a Permanent Change of Station.

How permanent a change was to be seen. Fighter Weapons' curriculum was extraordinarily rigorous, with an average washout rate of 50% for students. There had been some classes that had completely washed out. The toll on instructors was better, but not by a whole bunch. About 10% of all the instructors left Fighter Weapons annually. There were reports that the instructors were subjected to even more rigorous evaluations than the students, overseen personally by General Jablonski.

So here Audrey was, in the Commandant's outer office, waiting for her initial meeting with the General. She was nervous, because of all the rumors swirling around Fighter Weapons and it was difficult to separate fact from fiction. There were reports that General Jablonski had dismissed prospective instructors during the initial meeting who didn't meet her expectations.

It wasn't easy for Audrey to graduate from the Train-the-Trainer course. Although she was normally outgoing, gregarious and talkative, her first simulated teaching session was a disaster. She found it hard to make the transition from doing to showing and explaining. It didn't help that the trainers were closely observing her. As such, she was nervous, fumbling, and tongue-tied in front of a simulated class. The post class evaluation was brutal, with the trainers openly questioning her ability and dedication to become an instructor.

As humiliating as their comments were, they awoke Audrey's stubborn streak, determination and fighting spirit. She vowed to do better. She spent the next two days off duty, working on her lesson plan and rehearsing her presentation. The next simulated teaching session went much better, as Audrey regained her poise and confidence. The trainers noted her improvement, and commented that such preparation would be mandatory, if she wanted to be successful as an instructor..

In many ways, the mental and emotional work learning to teach was more challenging than her engineering courses. While engineering required a lot of calculation and thought, being an instructor seemed to call for more comprehensive skills and experience. The solid certainty and predictability of math and physics was replaced by seemingly vague suggestions, guidelines, tips, and hints..

It took her some time to sharpen her perceptions and rely more on her intuition concerning her students and class. With her stubbornness and determination driving her, she kept at it. As the course went on, she became more confident and assured in what she saw and felt. At the end of the course, Audrey managed to graduate in the top quarter of her class. Both General Cassidy and Colonel Donovan were there for her graduation ceremony.

The captain serving as the General's secretary looked up at a beep from the speaker on her desk. She turned to Audrey and said, "General Jablonski is ready to see you now."

Audrey stood and strode to the inner office door. She knocked twice, and a soprano voice answered, "Come in." Audrey opened the door, strode in and came to attention before the desk and its occupant. She saluted, and said, "Captain Audrey Gains reports, ma'am." doing her best to keep her voice steady.

The woman behind the desk pushed herself up out of her chair, balancing herself carefully on her solitary leg, She straightened up, and returned Audrey's salute."At ease, Captain Gains" she said, easing herself back into her chair.

Audrey relaxed her stance slightly, taking the opportunity to get a look at the General. In a way, she felt vaguely disappointed. General Jablonski looked ordinary, like any other woman in her early 40s. She was shorter than Audrey, with a slim build. Her gray-streaked dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun on the back of her head. Her complexion was ruddy and weathered, with lines at the corners of her eyes. Her eyes were a cool gray, behind a pair of square wire rimmed glasses perched on her small nose. All in all, she looked commonplace, except for the missing leg and the ease with which she wore general's stars and seven rows of award and campaign ribbons.

General Jablonski looked down at the opened folder on her desk. She flipped through a few pages before looking up at Audrey. The general's expression was neutral, but her eyes held a mixture of curiosity, skepticism, and interest. "Tell me, Captain Gains, as an instructor, what would be the overall lesson you would want your students to learn and understand?" she asked quietly.

Audrey paused to collect her thoughts. She straightened up, and declared, "Conserve your magic. Flying takes an enormous amount of magic. The less magic you use on things you can do without magic, the more that is available when you need it. You can do a number of things to help accomplish your mission without magic. All it takes is knowing what you need to do, how to do it, and the discipline to make it a part of daily practice, ma'am"

General Jablonski leaned forward, interest plainly written on her face. "An interesting idea, Captain. Where did this come from?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

Audrey blushed. "Ma'am, it all comes from an Old Witches proverb my mother always told me. 'It's better to have magic and not need it than to need magic and not have it.'" she said, sheepishly.

The look of interest on the General's face instantly changed, as she lost her stern demeanor and threw her head back, laughing heartily. "Oh my gosh, my mother used to say the same thing to me many times, too!" she said, chuckling. She stopped laughing and gave Audrey a stern look. "Captain, can you give an example of something that can be done without magic, that most Witches use magic for?" she asked.

Audrey paused to gather her words. "Ma'am, during missions, most of Witches I know, use their magic to sense the approach of any Neuroi, especially during their final attack approaches on a target. Most non-magical pilots have developed something called, SA or situational awareness to do the same thing. I've heard of it as being the ability to concentrate on a task at hand, while being aware of everything going on around you. I've talked with some non-magic fighter pilots about it, and they said that it's actually a skill that can be learned. I just figured that it could be learned by Witches and be just as valuable to them, especially since it doesn't use any magic."

General Jablonski sat back in her chair with a smile "I like your thought processes, Captain" She gestured to the opened folder on her desk. "Apparently, Ben Cassidy and Rick Donovan are fans of yours, as well. In all the time I've known them, these are the first letters from either of them with such glowing recommendations!"

General Jablonski continued. "Let me give you an overview of the School and some things you'll need to know. We run parallel programs for Witches and non-magic pilots. My non-Magic counterpart is General Selfridge. We've have been running Fighter Weapons in this manner for over a decade, and we are pleased that our approach seems to be working."

"We've formed squadrons, based on mission. We have them for missions like air-to-air, CAS, deep strike interdiction, SEAD and soon. There are two squadrons per specialty. One is for Witches flying Strikers. The other one is for non magic pilots flying conventional aircraft. The two sibling squadrons freely share resources, so anything available to one is available to the other. Often, instructors from one squadron teach classes in their specialty for the other. So freely make use of any resource you can, just clear it beforehand with the sibling squadron command." the General stated.

General Jablonski said, "You'll report to the 67th Fighter Weapons Squadron and to Colonel Washington. She'll handle the curriculum, the lesson planning, class and flight time schedule, and anything else pertaining to your work here."

The General leaned forward and gave Audrey a stern look. Her voice shifted to an equally stern and uncompromising tone. "General Selfridge and I are aware of the consequences of having young men and women working and training together. Our official fraternization policy is this: We don't care what you do off-duty, so long as it doesn't impact job performance, or unit morale and readiness. On duty, contact with the opposite sex is to be kept at a minimum, except in the course of official duties. If on-duty behavior is inappropriate, or if off duty behavior impacts job performance, unit morale or readiness, we will swiftly take steps to deal with the situation, to include summary courts-martial. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"

Audrey gulped. "Perfectly clear, ma'am" she replied, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

General Jablonski leaned back again, a smile spreading over her face. "Now that I put the fear of God in you, just let me say this: Use your common sense. On duty, stick to business, but there's no reason you can't be friendly. If there's something more between you, keep it for after duty, or at least be discreet. Off duty, don't make me call the JAG to bail you out of the Clark County jail. No dramatic love triangle confrontations. Be cautious when indulging in gambling and alcohol. Protect yourself at all times and stay safe. The less Command is involved in your personal activities, the better. But if you run into any problems, don't hesitate to call your squadron CO and me. Again, just exercise common sense."

"However" as the General continued in a sterner tone of voice. "I expect excellence from you as an officer and as an instructor. What you are teaching is what will save student lives in the course of their missions. That makes it vital you give your best in teaching the lessons learned from all of our accumulated knowledge and experience. Teach your students, so that not only will they understand, but that they make it a part of themselves. I will hold you accountable for your students' performance, not only on the final exams, but their performance in the practicum. Do I make myself clear?"

Audrey straightened up. This was the "Jabby" Jablonski that she had heard so much about; tough, driven, uncompromising and demanding of excellence from both instructors and students. There was an unspoken challenge in the General's words and tone that awoke Audrey's stubborn streak and determination. She looked the General steadily in the eye and declared, "Yes, ma'am, I understand. I won't let you down."

General Jablonski smiled. She pushed herself up from her desk and Audrey stood as well.. The General extended her hand to her. Audrey took it and shook it firmly "Congratulations, Captain. Welcome to Fighter Weapons! I look forward to your first quarterly evaluation." she declared. "I'll have Captain Morris give you directions to the 67th and notify Colonel Washington that you're coming.. Dismissed, Captain." she said. Audrey snapped to attention and saluted sharply. The General did the same. Audrey turned and left the office, closing the door behind her.

Coming to the secretary's desk, Captain Morris smiled warmly at Audrey. "Welcome to Fighter Weapons, Captain Gains. Here's directions to the 67th's admin building and a map of the school's area of operations, including the hangers. Colonel Washington's office is on the main floor. You can't miss it. Good luck and hope you do well!"

Driving down to the 67th Squadron Admin building, it was hard to miss. One building had a banner across the front that said, "Liberion CAS: When it positively has to be destroyed overnight! 66th Fighter Weapons Squadron." Another banner on the building next to it proclaimed, "67th Fighter Weapons Squadron Delivering only the finest Snakes, Nape and Willy Pete." The latter drew a giggle from Audrey. During her Nam tours, the Witches often described their load out as "Snakes" (Mk 81 high drag bombs), "Nape" (Mk47 napalm canisters) and "Willy Pete" (M156 White Phosphorous 2.75 inch rockets). Going into the building, it was easy finding Colonel Washington's office, and she was quickly whisked inside to meet the Colonel.

Colonel "First Lady" Martha Washington turned out to be a tall, slim Black woman in her late 40s.. Endlessly energetic and dynamic, she paced behind her desk, as Audrey took a seat. "Welcome to the 67th!" she exclaimed with a slight New York accent. "You must be that hot Witch Ben Cassidy's been raving about! Don't worry, we'll be gentle and ease you into the routine. Figured we'd have you observe a few classes before we toss you to the wolves." Colonel Washington leaned over her desk and touched a button on the speaker, "Yo, Ghia! Can you find Gunner and Squeaky and send in? Our fresh meat has arrived!" she practically yelled.

After a couple of minutes, there was a quiet knock at the office door. Colonel Washington yelled, "Git yo asses in here now!" The door opened and two Witches strode in. The contrast between then could not be greater. One was even taller and heftier than Audrey. She gazed at Audrey with steady blue eyes. Her blonde hair was braided and coiled into a tight bun. The other was petite and slender, with dark brown hair tied into an elaborate bun composed of many small braids. Her eyes were a lively brown, holding humor and intelligence. Both were wearing their OD green flight shirts with matching bikini shorts. The tall blonde wore captain's bars and the name "Ratzinger" on her name tag. The other one wore a major's gold oak leaves, and her name tag proclaimed hers as "Gunderson."

Colonel Washington spoke. "I'd like to introduce you to your new guides." Gesturing to Ratzinger, Colonel Washington said, "This is Captain Sheila "Squeaky" Ratzinger." Squeaky raised her hand and spoke in a surprisingly high-pitched voice. "Hello".

Gesturing to Gunderson, Colonel Washington said, "And this is our senior instructor, Major Maureen "Gunner" Gunderson." Gunner waved and said, "Yo!"

The Colonel turned to Audrey and said, "Gunner and Squeaky, this is Captain Audrey Gains. She graduated from the 355th Train the trainer course, and survived her initial meeting with Jabby., She goes by…..?" and she left the sentence hanging as she turned to Audrey.

Audrey blushed bright red, silently cursing her nickname again. She sighed. Too late to change it now. She took a deep breath and said, "They call me 'Boing Boing' or 'Boings', for short." Seeing their quizzical expressions, she jumped up and down, letting her breasts bounce under her dress blue uniform jacket. Their expressions changed to dawning understanding and sympathy.

Colonel Washington briskly moved on, as if the past 30 seconds never happened. She declared, "Anyway, she's going to sit in on your current classes, to get a feel for how things work here. I want you to to help her with lesson planning, finding resources and the general flow on everything. Give her the scoop on everything happening here and help her as much as she needs. Got that?" Both Gunner and Squeaky nodded. "Good! You're all dismissed" she said, as she returned to her desk. All three of them came to attention, saluted, turned and left the office.

Gunner turned to Audrey and said, "Not much else to say, except this, and it's important." and all humor left her voice and manner. She pointed to a map on the wall and an area between the northern and southern range areas. "This here is Area 51. It and all airspace around Groom Lake are off limits to all non-vetted personnel. That includes all of us. If you violate airspace over Area 51 and Groom Lake, you will be forced down, arrested and imprisoned for no less than 35 years, under the US Espionage Act of 1949. There will be no clemency, no leniency, and no exceptions." At Audrey's questioning look, Gunner responded grimly, "It's all top top secret, and needs a clearance equivalent to Sec Def, from what I gather, to get in there. As to what they're doing there, I don't have the clearance, and I'm sure I'd rather not know. All you need to know is to stay away from it at any cost. Got it?" Audrey nodded. Gunner smiled, returning to her previous breezy manner. "Good. Now let's introduce you to everyone else here."

After a whirlwind tour and meeting more people than she could remember, Audrey found herself by her car. Both Gunner and Squeaky were still talking, trying to pour more information into her as she got ready to leave. Finally, Gunner said, "That's the short version. Meet me in Classroom 2 tomorrow morning, and we'll get you started with the lesson plan and then let you see a class in action. Day after tomorrow, we'll have up in the sky to observe the practical portion. See you after reveille!" Gunner and Squeaky turned and went into the building.

Audrey got into her car and drove off to the BOQ. Finding her room, she began unpacking and finished long after dinner. She went to the O club and had a burger and beer in the bar to satisfy her hunger. She took a shower, washing and drying her hair. She set her alarm for two hours before reveille, to give herself enough time to run 5 miles and shower before reporting for class. She was here at Fighter Weapons, a dream she didn't have even 6 months ago. It looked challenging, but she felt up to it. As she fell asleep, she was hopeful and was looking forward to whatever comes.


	9. Chapter 9

Late Summer 1972

67th Fighter Weapons Squadron

US Air Force Fighter Weapons School

Nellis AFB

Las Vegas Nevada

Audrey's classes were going well. In her current class. all 8 Witches were Liberion, and all seemed to be in awe of her, as she spoke of her tours in Vietnam. They were about to begin the block on Close Air Support operations and what a "typical" close air support mission would be like. Audrey had gone to Major Erickson, the 66th Squadron's operations officer, and had requested an instructor who had experience as a FAC to teach the class, from the viewpoint of a forward air controller. She was a little nervous, especially the way Major Erickson had smiled and said he had the perfect instructor for her.

Captain "Danger" William Robinson strode into the classroom, introduced himself and shook Audrey's hand. He was tall and lanky, with close cropped dark hair and dark eyes with unmeasured depths. He spoke with a slow Southern drawl, as unhurried as molasses in winter. He looked to be some 8 years older than Audrey, having flown F-100Ds in Nam first as a strike pilot, before volunteering for duty as a FAC. After his last Nam tour, he came to Fighter Weapons as an instructor.

Audrey felt uneasy in Danger's presence. Something about him tugged at her memory, but she couldn't figure what it was. It was frustrating, because the details seemed beyond her reach. Even so, he was polite, respectful and Audrey quickly discovered his deep, thoughtful, wide ranging intellect, which he kept hidden behind an "aw-shucks, just-off-the-truck country boy" image.

She had to admit he was a very good instructor, instantly commanding the class's respect and attention. He started by explaining what a FAC was and what they did. He then drew out a flow chart on a FAC mission and then went into detail on each action and decision point. Then he gestured to Audrey to join him in front of the class and going through the radio exchanges between a FAC and a Strike Witch.

"This is what you'll hear as the initial call from a FAC" he drawled. Putting his hand over his left ear, he said, "Angel-1, this is Raven 1-6. I have Neuroi walkers coming through the trees at grid 65442715, Request Snakes and Nape. We have friendlies set up on the east side of the road. Will mark target position with white smoke. Over." He smiled and pointed to Audrey.

Audrey clapped her hands over her mouth in shocked recognition. _NO WAY!_ she thought. Most of Audrey's missions during her second Nam tour were flying close air support for the Montagnard tribesmen in central and northern Laos waging a guerrilla campaign against the Neuroi. During those missions, her designation was Angel -1. These strikes were directed by the Forward Air controllers designated as Raven. They were fighter strike pilots flying light aircraft, equipped with nothing more than smoke rockets, an M16 and a radio. The one she had worked with the most was designated Raven1-6. It was HIM! That's where she remembered him from, especially that slow unhurried Southern drawl!

Danger just smiled at Audrey, and with his hand over his ear, said, "Angel-1, do you copy?"

Audrey shook her head, put her hand to her left ear and said "Raven 1-6, this is Angel-1 acknowledged. Target Grid 65442715, Friendlies on the east side of the road. Mark targets with white smoke. Standing by."

"Then I'd fire smoke rockets at the treeline in front of the walkers, and then I'd call the Witch with the bomb load and say, 'Angel-1 this is Raven 1-6. Target marked with white smoke, They're all yours, honey'" Danger smiled slowly. . "And then the Witch would respond..." he drawled as he gestured to Audrey.

Audrey replied with "I see white smoke marking target. Rolling in hot. Request BDA."

Danger continued. "After the initial attack run, the FAC does an assessment on the effectiveness of the bombing rum. If it's successful, he tells the Witch and thanks her for her prompt support. If not, he sets up another attack run and the process starts all over again, until the FAC is satisfied the target is neutralized or it's not necessary due to changes in the tactical situation on the ground. Any questions?"

The class continued, with questions coming from the students that both Danger and Audrey providing answers. As class was about to end, Danger stood up to make some final remarks for the day.

"Ah want y'all to listen up, 'cause what I got ta say is important." Danger drawled. "Ah know there's been a lot of talk how the Air Force is "forced" to do CAS, that the air-to-air folks call us 'mud-movers', that the we're nothin' more than the orphan stepchild of air combat. Ah take it y'all heard all that kind of stuff." He paused, seeing the reluctant nods from all the girls. "Ah just want to tell you all that's nothin' but a planeload 'o rubber dogshit!" he exclaimed, as everyone flinched.

Danger continued on, his passion evident."Air to air combat wins you recognition and bragging rights! Close Air Support wins you battles, which win you wars! You want to know how important close air support is? Just ask any soldier, Marine or Ground Witch. Those that have seen combat will know how important it is, knowing the Air Force is right there, backing them up, coming to their aid when they call for us! We are the ones who bring down God's Own Thunder on the heads of the Neuroi! It is our honor and duty to do so! And you are the ones who are going to do it!

The students all stood to applaud and cheer. Audrey just stood there, stunned again. Never before had she heard someone echo what CAS mission meant to her.

As the students filed out of the classroom, Audrey grabbed Danger's arm and hissed, "You son-of-a-bitch! You knew who I was before I requested a FAC to help teach this class! That's why Major Erickson knew the 'perfect' instructor to help me out!"

Danger smiled innocently. "Ah don' know what y'all talkin' about. Ah just happened to be between classes and available." he slowly drawled. He leaned in closer to Audrey and smiled, his tone becoming more persuasive . "Tell y'all what, Cap'n Gains, how 'bout we discuss this over dinner? It's steak night at the O club, and Ah'll treat." Seeing Audrey's skeptical look, Danger said, "This here'll be a working dinner. We can go over your lesson plan and work on what kinda exercises we want the students to go through for this block. How about we all meet at the O club 'bot 1800?"

Audrey had to admit he was charming, polite, respectful and smooth talking. On top of it all, she wanted to know more about Danger. He had always been a mystery, behind that unhurried Southern drawl. "Okay, dinner it is. 1800 you said?" she asked. A bold idea came to Audrey. "Civilian dress, okay? We stick to business." sh declared.

Danger's smile widened. "Civilian dress it is." He turned to leave, but stopped and turned back to Audrey. By the way, what's your name and nickname? I can't keep on callin' you Angel-1." he said with big grin.

Audrey blushed furiously, hating her nickname all the more. She raised her chin, looking Danger in the eye. "My real name is Audrey, but most people call me Boing Boing, or Boings, for short." Danger opened his mouth, but Audrey raised her hand and said flatly, "Don't ask. But what about you? How did you get a nickname like Danger?"

Danger sighed. He said, "My real name is William. Most folks used to call me Will. At least until "Lost in Space" came on TV. Remember the robot? What he did he do when something bad was about to happen? He'd wave his arms and announce 'Danger, Will Robinson, Danger" and the rest is history." He sighed again. In a friendly, almost conspiratorial tone he said, "Tell y'all what. How about I call you Audrey, at least off duty? Y'all can call me Will, and we'll leave our nicknames behind. How's that?"

Audrey smiled. Not only was he charming, polite, respectful and smooth talking, but thoughtful as well. She had to keep on reminding herself that his "country bumpkin" mannerisms were a smokescreen to hide his intelligence and perception. "Sounds like a winner to me, Will, See you at the O club at 1800." She left the classroom and drove back to the BOQ.

Audrey rushed into her room. She only had an hour to get ready. She stripped and went in to take a quick shower. After drying off, she threw open her wall locker and surveyed her civilian clothes. She decided to go simple and pulled out a white long sleeve blouse and a green knee length skirt. She dressed quickly, also pulling on a pair of shoes with modest 2 inch heels. She didn't think Will would mind, especially since he seemed to be at least 3 inches taller than her.

Audrey put in her pearl stud earrings but decided against wearing the necklace. She spent the next few minutes brushing out her hair, and deciding how she wanted to wear it. A ponytail was too boring, and a braid would take too long. She decided to comb back the hair hanging on the sides of her face and clip them to the back of her head,

Looking in the mirror, Audrey tried different approaches to her makeup. The one non-negotiable was the mascara. Her lashes were almost translucent and made her look like a ghost. Mascara emphasized the green in her eyes. Audrey put on some foundation to conceal her freckles and almost immediately wiped it off. It made her feel like a clown. She sighed. _Forget the foundation_ , she thought, _if he doesn't like my freckles, he doesn't like them_. She was sick and tired of always trying to hide them anyway. She just put on a light layer of moisturizer, since the sun was drying out her skin. A light touch of lipstick and she was done. She dabbed a little Shalimar behind her ears, on her wrists and her throat. She put on her flight chronometer, stuffed her keys, ID and wallet into her purse and headed out.

Arriving at the O club, Audrey checked her chronometer, and discovered she was some 10 minutes early. She took a seat in the lobby to wait for Will, feeling only slightly anxious. She wasn't overly nervous, as other Witches she'd known would have had been. Audrey had frustrated her mother by being alternately, cute, feminine and girly and then being active, rowdy, and rambunctious. Before she was joined the Air Force, she often ran around with the McIntyre brothers who lived across the street, of which there were 9. The oldest brother, Matthew, took Audrey under his wing, teasing her (but never about her red hair or freckles), told her dirty jokes when she was old enough to understand, and explained many things that weren't taught in school. Janet was outraged at her friendship with Matthew, but Tim thought it was good for Audrey. As such, Audrey related much better to a male presence than most other Witches.

Will came into the lobby of the O club a few ticks before 1800. He was dressed in a dark jacket and slacks, black shoes and a white shirt, His movements and stance exuded an air of mystery and controlled intense power that intrigued Audrey, He had something in his hands. Were those flowers he had? No, it was a corsage! Audrey's mouth dropped open in shock and she barely had the presence of mind to cover it with her hand. No one had ever brought her a corsage before!

Will smiled as he came up to Audrey. "Y'all look lovely tonight." he drawled. He lifted the corsage. "Ah brought you a little something that Ah thought would enhance your loveliness tonight." He opened the plastic box and looked at Audrey. "May I?" he asked.

For one of the few times in her life, Audrey was at a loss for words. She nodded, blushing furiously and Will carefully pinned the corsage to the left side of her blouse. She looked down at it, entranced by its pink edged white flowers and the white ribbon edged in green. She inhaled and the intoxicating fragrance of the orchid blossoms filled her nose, eclipsing her perfume. It was beautiful and she was blushing at the thoughtfulness of it. She looked up at Will and whispered, "Thank you, Will. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Will's smile broadened and it lit up his normally serious expression with genuine delight. He extended his arm for her, which she took, as they proceeded to dinner.

For Audrey, dinner was mostly a blur. She didn't remember anything about the food, and vaguely remembered only having coffee to drink. While Audrey could be charming, witty and flirt with the best of them, she wanted to be direct with Will. It was important that he see her as a real person, and not some silly, flighty and flirty girl. When she asked him about himself, Audrey did her best to focus on what he said and commit it to memory.

It turns out Will was from South Haven, Tennessee, a small town to the southeast of Memphis. Will talked about riding his bike to downtown Memphis to BB King's club on Beale Street and just listening to the music from the outside. He also mentioned that Elvis was a neighbor, since Graceland was just a few miles up the road. He talked about going to Memphis State on the AFROTC, and being sent to accelerated flight training right after graduation.

Will's expression and voice became serious, as he spoke of his tour in Nam as a Super Sabre pilot flying CAS. He became more animated as he talked about volunteering to be a Raven forward air controller and of his many adventures and narrow escapes, lapsing into what Audrey knew as the "There-I-Was" mode of storytelling. He spoke of coming to Fighter Weapons, and his first meeting with General Selfridge and General Jablonski.

Will then talked about his parents, his younger brother and sister, and his father's parents, how his minister grandfather had the best barbecue sauce in western Tennessee, and how his grandmother was the local healing Witch. He talked about his best friend from high school, and how they both went to college on an ROTC scholarship, went to flight school together, and did three consecutive tours in Nam together, and ending up at Fighter Weapons together, living off base as roommates.

When Will asked Audrey about how she got to Fighter Weapons, she started at the very beginning, with that camping trip when she was seven in the Olympic National Forest that summer. She spoke about encountering a red fox who recognized and connected to her and agreed to become her familiar and share her magic power and knowledge. Will was very curious about magic and Witches, since his grandmother never talked about it with him. He asked a lot of questions and Audrey had to keep from laughing at some of the misconceptions he had. Apparently, other than his grandmother, he never had the chance to interact with any Witches before Vietnam. She patiently explained the truth and gently corrected his misconceptions.

Will was saddened to hear about Audrey's estrangement from her youngest sister because of magic. Audrey spoke quietly about her own fading magic, how it affects a Strike Witch, and the stark choices facing her. She spoke of her desire to keep flying and how this was her only real path, how she was taking a chance and hoping for the future.

Before either of them realized it, the waitress informed them that the dining room was closing and that they were free to continue using the bar.. Checking her chronometer, Audrey realized it was late and she needed to go to sleep soon. Audrey pushed back her chair and stood up. Will did the same.

Audrey didn't want the evening to end, but she had to be up early. She extended her hand and said, "Thank you for a wonderful evening, Will. I hope we can do this again soon."

Will's smile looked it would split his face. He took Audrey's hand, shook it and drawled, "Well, we just might. We never did get to the lesson plan or exercises. Let's get together soon and we can work on that, for real." As he said that, Audrey felt her heart lurch a little.

"I would like that very much." Audrey said, trying to keep the stammer out of her voice, and she blushed as a rush of warmth went through her. What was going on? No one had affected her like this before!

As they left the O club, Will extended his left arm, and asked, "May I escort you to your quarters, Audrey?" Audrey felt her heart lurch again as he said her name.

Audrey took his arm, leaned her head against his shoulder, and said, "Of course you can." while sighing contentedly.

The walk back to the BOQ was only a few blocks, but Audrey didn't want it to end. She drank in Will's strength and steadiness, as an unfamiliar but welcome warmth suffused her being. Arriving at the BOQ, she let go of his arm and turned to face him.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening. I enjoyed myself very much." she said, blushing furiously.

Will smiled slowly, "Thank y'all for coming out with me tonight." he said. He hesitated for a moment, as if he was considering something. He straightened up and looked Audrey in the eye. "Audrey Gains, you are a most amazing woman. Beautiful, charming, intelligent and a warrior, all in one. I definitely want to see you more and get to know you better." he declared. "We'll get together and work more on the lesson plan and the exercises soon." he said, softly. To Audrey's surprise, he bent down and brushed her cheek with a light kiss. "See you soon." he said, as he turned and left.

Audrey walked back to her room in a daze. Will and everything about tonight was totally unexpected. She didn't remember unlocking and opening her room, so she was a little taken aback to find herself standing by her desk. She carefully unpinned the corsage, pausing to bury her nose in it to inhale its fragrance. She found a glass, filled it with water and stuck the corsage in it.

Audrey got undressed, taking off her shoes and carefully hanging her blouse and skirt. As she finished getting undressed, she kept thinking about Will and that unfamiliar warm feeling spreading through her body as she unclipped her hair. She set her alarm clock, and laid down. Her last thoughts before falling asleep were of Will.

The next day wasn't a good one for Audrey. First, she got up barely in time to get dressed, let alone run or get breakfast. Fortunately, someone brought in doughnuts this morning. Unfortunately, she dropped chocolate frosting on her uniform shirt and burned her hand when she spilled some coffee, trying to clean it up. She was scattered, anxious, and absent-minded during class, having forgotten what part of the CAS operations block they were on, and what material had already been covered. By lunchtime, she was frazzled, frustrated and on the verge of tears. Lunchtime didn't come soon enough, and she almost ran down the hallway to the instructor's lounge.

"Yo, Boings!" That chirpy high pitched voice calling out to her could only be Squeaky. Audrey turned around to see Squeaky marching up to her. "There's a package in the lounge for you.."she said, she headed out the building for lunch with Sandra "Sandy" Miller, another instructor.

As Audrey headed to the instructor's lounge, she wondered who had sent her a package. It couldn't be her family, since her birthday was still a couple of months away.. It might be Juggs, but Juggs was TDY in Brittania now, and promised to send souvenirs when she got back. Thinking of who might have sent the package, Audrey went into the instructor's lounge.

And she groaned inwardly at the music playing as she opened the door. It was The Eagles and "Witchy Woman". _How cliche'_ , Audrey thought, sourly. The song had quickly become a staple in the instructor's lounge during lunchtime. Audrey ground her teeth. To her, the song seemed to highlight every negative stereotype about Witches. _We're not evil, wicked,_ _seductive_ _creatures!_ she thought furiously. _We're just simply girls who have different abilities, like painting, or singing or baton twirling._ Audrey's grumpy mood was further deepened by the music.

"Yo Boings!" Gunner waved to Audrey from the table, where there was a large vase that wasn't there this morning. The vase was tall and broad, holding an arrangement that consisted of daisies, carnations and ferns around the rim, and a single rose stuck in the middle. This wasn't an ordinary rose; the stem was almost as long as her arm and as thick as her index finger. The single vividly deep red blossom was almost the size of her fist. It was a spectacular arrangement like she'd never seen before.

"Who's the secret admirer, Boings?" Gunner asked in a teasing tone. "I made sure I didn't open the card" she said, handing it to Audrey.

Audrey opened the card, her curiosity shifting into high gear. The card itself was plain, with no design on the front. On the inside, written in careful block letters, was "Audrey, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" with only a cursive W at the end. It had to be Will. One of the things they discovered last night, was their mutual love of Bogart movies. Will counted "Casablanca" as his favorite, while Audrey loved "Key Largo".

Audrey leaned over the table to smell the rose. The fragrance was totally different, but just as intoxicating as the orchid was last night. Her mood changed instantly, and suddenly, the day didn't seem so bad after all.

Captain Judy "J.J." Johnson exclaimed, "Boings' got a boyfriend! Who is he?"and all the other instructors chimed in with teasing questions, wild guesses, and congratulations.

Audrey just smiled, and said, "Really J.J., do I look like the kind of girl who kisses and tells?"

"Kisses?!" J.J. exclaimed. "Details, Boings! We want details!" she cried.

Audrey smiled even more broadly as she giggled. "I'm going to let this develop and we'll see where it goes. When the time is right, I'll let you all know."

Audrey floated through the rest of the day, counting the time before seeing Will again.


	10. Chapter 10

Spring 1973

67th Fighter Weapons Squadron

US Air Force Fighter Weapons School

Nellis AFB

Las Vegas NV

Audrey was humming to herself as she and her class made their way to the hangers. Today's exercise was on dropping Snakes (Mk81 High Drag bombs). There were different techniques to dropping Snakes as opposed to the 'normal' Mk 82 Low Drag General Purpose bomb,. Today they'd work on dropping 25lb practice bombs that had the same aerodynamic properties as the Mk 81s.

Audrey was happy, as happy as she could remember being. Jabby had praised her as a very good instructor with a world of potential in her first and second quarterly evaluations. Her classes had gone smoothly, with no disruptions, unlike Gunner, who seemed to get the most challenging students. And her friendship with Will seemed to blossom, especially after the Audrey s birthday.

Will had invited her out for a show, dinner and dancing at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. He said, "Get all glamoured up. I have a birthday night planned for you." Audrey took him at his word. She was waiting for him, dressed in a strapless black evening gown with a slit in the skirt up to mid thigh. Her makeup was a work of art by the cosmetologist, and the stylist had recreated Holly GoLightly's hairstyle from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" down to the tiara. Audrey was nervous, agonizing over what Will's reaction would be.

Will's car rolled up to the O club and was one befitting a fighter pilot, a 1970 Shelby Mustang GT500. Painted an aqua blue with white stripes on the side, it seemed far less menacing and threatening then if it had been red or black. He got out and was totally bowled over by Audrey's stunning beauty on display. He felt very under dressed in his black suit, white shirt and black tie.

As he approached Audrey, he drawled, "You are the vision of beauty tonight, Audrey". Audrey blushed a bright red at the compliment.

Will lifted the plastic box holding the corsage. "May I" he asked shyly. Unable to speak, Audrey just nodded. Looking at her dress, Will thought t _oo dangerous to pin it on the usual place._ He looked through the corsage box and with a sense of relief, found what he needed, a wrist strap. Carefully fixing it to Audrey's wrist, he relaxed and smiled.

The show at the Flamingo was fantastic, with Wayne Newton the headliner. Sitting at a table in the first row, Audrey was impressed with both his music and showmanship. When Wayne asked for all those celebrating birthdays to stand up, Audrey was the only one. So Wayne sang "Happy Birthday" for "the lovely young lady in the front row." to smiles and applause from Will.

Dinner was amazing. Will had ordered a Caesar salad, steak with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and green beans. Audrey chose seafood with a shrimp cocktail, grilled swordfish and tempura prawns, a baked potato and corn. Everything was perfect, and the conversation between them was lively and spiced with laughter.

After dancing for a while in the ballroom, (honestly neither of them knew how to dance, but they swayed to the music, with Audrey leaning against Will), they sat at the hotel's bar. The bar tender poured a split of champagne for both of them, as they sat and talked comfortably. Audrey was glowing from not only the dancing, but the warmth and connection to Will.

Audrey turned to Will and whispered, "Thank you for a wonderful birthday. It's the best one I can remember." Will turned his head to reply, but Audrey grabbed his face and kissed him fully on the lips for a full 15 seconds, twining her arms around his neck. She pulled back just far enough to rest her forehead on his.

"This was too wonderful." she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Will was totally surprised. He kissed her again, and said at the end of it, "Anything for my favorite gal." He pulled her closer to his side and put an arm around her shoulders.

Audrey felt something like an electric shock at his touch. This was followed by a warm glow. _Was this love?_ , Audrey thought. _Or was this just passion run am_ _o_ _k?_ Her mother had warned her about passion, and how it can override logic and reason, often leading to bad things happening. "It it's right, it can wait" were Janet's words. They appealed to Audrey's logical and objective side. _I'm just going to enjoy this for now and I'll wait to see where it goes_ she thought.

Will's smile turned teasing "Y'all look mighty good for an old Witch" He grunted, as Audrey elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "What was that for?" he asked, in a tone of injured innocence.

Audrey's eyes flashed angrily, as smiled her most sweetly venomous smile. "You know perfectly well what that was for. I may be 22 now, but that does NOT make me as an OLD WITCH!" she said, in her most silkily menacing tone.

Will turned to her, his eyes wide and hands up in front of him, as if to fend Audrey off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I apologize! I didn't mean it!" he sputtered, as he leaned away from her.

Audrey almost burst out laughing, seeing how Will was backpedaling as fast as he could, struggling to extricate himself from the situation.

Her smile lost its venom, and her voice lost its menace as she teasingly asked, "So how are you going to make it up to me, Will Robinson? After all, I am the birthday girl." as she pouted a little bit. _He's not off the hook yet!_ She thought.

Will disentangled himself from Audrey, and stood up. He reached down to touch her shoulder, and drawled, "Ah'll be right back" as he turned and left the bar.

Audrey sat back, confused. Had she really hurt his feelings that badly? Did he have to get away to regain control of his temper? She sipped her glass of champagne. _When he comes back, I'll apologize for being so_ _mean_ _to him_ she thought.

Will came back after a few minutes, holding a small box. He said, "A friend of mine saw something like this in Furano, where he's stationed in Fuso. He found a shop that did custom work, so I had one made for your birthday. Ah hope y'all like it." He then handed the box to Audrey.

Audrey took the box, looking at it curiously. It was totally ordinary, wrapped in bright paper. She carefully peeled off the paper and opened the box. Inside was an item, swathed in bubble wrap. She carefully took it out and unwrapped the item. She gasped, looking at what she held.

It was a figurine of a Witch in an AD-1 Striker, leaning forward on a take off run, the magic circle beneath it . The striker was exquisitely detailed, with the green camouflage paint job, outlines of all the access hatches and panels, and the regulation Liberion Air Force insignia, including squadron markings for the 112th Tactical Fighter Squadron. The Witch in the striker had her helmet off, her red hair, fox tail and ears flowing back in the slipstream, and when Audrey looked closely, she could she could see the figurine's green eyes and freckles. With a shock, she realized that this was her! She was so touched, she not only forgave him for his old Witch remark, she rewarded him with another big heartfelt kiss that he returned enthusiastically.

Will's birthday was a month or so later. Audrey used a contact that Juggs had picked up in Brittania and had managed to get a new Rolex Oyster Chronograph Daytona for him as a surprise. It was a BIG surprise and they both celebrated enthusiastically.

Their friendship deepened as time went on, with both Christmas and Valentine's day were even more wonderful. Audrey was wondering if he was going to declare if he wanted their friendship to move to the next level. She was thinking of how her family would receive him. Her mom would be enthusiastic, but her father would be more cautious. She wasn't sure how her sisters would react, but she was hoping they'd like him as well.

Audrey's train of thought was interrupted by frenzied activity happening at the far end of the row of hangers.. She realized that was the hanger area for the 303rd SAR squadron. They were always either training or conducting rescue operations. She had a profound respect for the pilots, para-rescue jumpers and air crews of SAR. She'd seen them go into Neuroi held territory to rescued downed pilots and witches, always unarmed, relying on stealth and speed. When the Neuroi advanced on the downed flier, they called for the nearest CAS, plane or Witch for help. More often than not, a FAC would respond as well, just to manage the traffic over the rescue area. Audrey herself had responded to a few SAR support calls, often wishing she had more ordnance to drop on the Neuroi, as SAR went in to make their pickup.

Something was going on, as an SAR chopper lifted off and headed northwest. An ambulance, with lights flashing drew up near the helipad and the paramedics jumped out, and turned to look northwest as well.

Lt Col Danielle "Danno" Green, the Squadron XO, strode out of the back of the hanger and announced, "Listen up everyone! All flight operations are suspended as of now, till further notice! All instructors and students are to report back to their classrooms! We will notify you when flight operations resume. That's all for now."

Audrey ordered her students back to their classroom, designating the senior student to make sure everyone got back and was accounted for. She joined the throng of instructors around Danno, who were clamoring for answers. There was a loud, piercingly sharp whistle from the back of the crowd that silenced all chatter.

J.J. raised her voice, asking "What's going on, Danno?"

Danno looked around, making sure there were only instructors in the throng around her.

She said, "Okay, this is unofficial, but there may have been an incident at Range 63 Bravo this morning. That's all we know right now. Now let's just keep to business and do our best to kill the rumor machine, We'll get the official word out when we know something definite." She clapped her hands sharply. "OK people, let's get back to our classes now "

Audrey turned and started walking back to the classrooms with the other instructors. Her blood chilled at the mention of the word "incident". That was an indicator that bad things have happened. The sight of the SAR helo heading out northwest towards the test and training range was an added indication that something really bad had happened. Looking around at the crowd of instructors, she noticed that Sandra Miller was missing. _That's right_ , she thought S _andy was having her check ride this morning._ _Come to think of it, wasn't she going to be doing some runs at Indian Springs_ _Airfield_? Audrey had to think for a moment of where Indian Springs Airfield was located. The airfield was located in...Range 63 Bravo! _OH GOD NO! NOT SANDY!_ She thought. Audrey looked around and discovered that she wasn't the only one to realize that fact. The shocked looks and whispers indicated that everyone shared the same thought.

Audrey saw one of the paramedics with the ambulance, reach in for the microphone. He appeared to listen, and then spoke a few words. Putting the mic back in the ambulance, he waved at his partner. They both got back into the ambulance, and drove away slowly, with no lights or sirens. This was another sign that something terrible had happened. Even though Audrey was not religious, she found herself silently saying a prayer for Sandy.

Class the rest of the day was difficult, as both students and instructors just went through the motions, all while whispering rumors and gossip. After the students were dismissed, Audrey and all the other instructors were called into a conference room by Colonel Washington,

"All right, settle down everyone." Colonel Washington started. "These are the facts as we know them right now. At about 0830 this morning, there was an incident on Range 63 Bravo involving Captain Sandra Miller. SAR found her and airlifted her directly to University Medical Center, where she is in ICU in critical condition. An Accident Investigation team is arriving tonight from Wright-Patterson. I will appoint 2 members of the staff to act as observers and liaison to the Accident Investigation team. Flight Operations for the squadron are suspended, pending the end of the Accident Investigation team's mission here. That's all for now." In an informal tone, she continued. "Sandy's still alive, so let's hope for the best. Continue on with ground classes and let's keep it together people."

Everyone clustered around Captain Cassandra "Sassy" Jackson, offering reassurances, support and help. It had been one of the open secrets of the squadron that Sandy and Sassy were more than just friends and colleagues. Neither had any family, so they had gravitated towards each other. Sassy was in shock, barely acknowledging the hugs, and offers of help and reassurance. Gunner firmly took Sassy's arm and steered her out of the room, talking about driving her to University Medical Center.

Audrey walked back to the BOQ in a daze, her thoughts swirling around her. _How could this happen to Sandy? She's far too good of a flier to plow a hole in the desert! What happened?_ She thought. She wasn't in the mood for any dinner, and just simply showered, changed and lay down. Soon, she was asleep.

Audrey felt like she'd been sucker punched by a speeding train, as she woke from laying across the ground. The canopy of trees above her were cracked and broken from her hard landing. Her AD-1 strikers were battered, bent, broken and covered with holes. She realized that she didn't crash, she had gotten shot down by a brush with a Neuroi beam weapon. She extricated her legs, thankful they at least were intact. She took off her helmet and tossed it aside. Looking around for her weapon, she saw the old Browning's barrel was bent and twisted at a wild angle. Audrey heard rustling in the brush and the heavy thumping foot steps of Neuroi walker units nearby. She reached into her shoulder holster and drew her snub nosed.38 revolver, the fear of getting caught by the Neuroi threatening to choke her as she fought to calm down and think clearly.

Audrey startled awake. Disoriented, she looked around wildly, before realizing that she was in her room at Nellis' BOQ. Sweating profusely, she lay back and worked to get her breathing under control.

She sat up on the edge of the bed, still sweating. It had been years since she relived the nightmare of being shot down, but this time was the most vivid and real seeming. Checking her clock, she was amazed that it was still before 2230. She went to her bathroom, and splashed some cold water on her face, as much to wake her up as to confirm that here and now was real. The dream was so real and vivid, it was hard to believe it happened years ago.

Audrey sat back down on her bed, still shaking. There was no way she was going to go back to sleep. Making a decision, she got dressed, then picked up the phone and dialed a number.

It was answered on the first ring with a sleepy drawl "'lo?".

Audrey answered, "Will, it's Audrey. Can you meet me at the bar in the O Club? I need to talk to someone."

Will answered, now fully awake. "Something happen, Audrey? I'll be over in 20 minutes."

Audrey picked up her wallet and keys. By habit, she put on her dog tags and chronometer. She left her room, and walked to the O club bar. She took a seat at the bar and told the bartender, "Max, I'm waiting for someone." He nodded and went about his work, keeping an eye on the entrance.

Will came striding into the bar less than 15 minutes after talking with Audrey, an expression of concern on his face. Audrey looked at Will's expression and decided then and there. She couldn't lay this burden on him, it wasn't fair or right to do so. This was her problem and she had to deal with it herself. She pasted on a smile and turned to Will.

Will approached Audrey, saying "Audrey! Ah got here as fast as Ah could! Are you okay?" his concern lacing his voice.

Smiling brightly, Audrey replied in a light, cheery voice, "I'm sorry for calling you at such a late hour. No, I'm fine, really I am. You need to get home and to bed. You're flying tomorrow, so you need to get some sleep."

Will moved closer to Audrey and pulled her into a close hug.

He whispered in her ear, "Y'all ain't fine. Y'all are shaking and sweating. Y'all feel cold and y'all are almost as pale as a ghost."

Turning to the bartender, he said, "Max, can we get the lady a cup of hot chocolate, please?" Will then guided Audrey to a seat at a nearby table.

"Sit." he said in an authoritative commanding voice. Audrey sat and Will brought her the cup of hot chocolate Max had made. "Drink it slowly and breathe" he said in the same commanding tone.

Audrey slowly drank the hot chocolate and breathed deeply. The hot chocolate seemed to warm her all the way to her toes. That and the deep slow breathing seemed to settle the shaking of her hands, and push the fear she felt back into the recesses of her mind, Will sat close to her, an arm around her shoulders and talking quietly about his day. She felt ashamed for being so weak. She was a Strike Witch, a warrior who had faced down the Neuroi. She bowed her head, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks.

Will spoke up "Audrey? Can you tell me what's going on? I'll help you as much as Ah can."

Audrey drew a deep shuddering breath, and let it out slowly. Should she tell him? Would he be so macho as to contemptuously jeer her for being so weak, foolish and selfish? She looked more closely at hem, and saw only concern and worry. She made a daring decision, she would tell him and hope her faith in him was not misplaced.

"It's been a really bad day, Will. Apparently one of the instructors was on her check ride, and she crashed. SAR flew her directly to University." Will's eyes went wide. University was the only Level 1 trauma center in the area. If she was flown directly there, it must have been really bad. Audrey continued, "As of this afternoon, she was in ICU in critical condition. The Accident Investigation team got here tonight and are starting in the morning."

Audrey bowed her head, her hair hiding her face.

In almost a whisper she continued. Will had to lean close to hear her. "I didn't have any dinner. I just couldn't eat anything. I just changed and went to bed. But I started having dreams, really bad ugly horrible dreams. I remembered when I had gotten shot down by the Neuroi in Nam."

Will was shocked. Audrey had never mentioned anything about getting shot down before.

Audrey's voice dropped to a tremulous whisper. ."It was so real, that I could feel the bruises, smell the jungle, hear the Neuroi tramping through the brush looking for me. Do you know what happens to Witches that are captured by the Neuroi?"

Will shook his head, steeling himself for something ugly and brutal.

Audrey's voice became higher as her fear returned."The Neuroi experiment on captured Witches, trying to find the source of their magic. They'll keep them alive and awake, while dissecting them, often for days or weeks sometimes even months, trying to find how they use and control magic. I couldn't let myself be taken alive. I was fortunate that the Marines found me before the Neuroi did."

By this time, Audrey was sobbing. With an effort and the help of a few handy napkins, she managed to stop and looked directly as Will.

"I'm sorry I called you at such a late hour. This is my problem and I need to deal with it myself. When I called, I was desperate for someone to talk to about this. But now I realize that putting this on you isn't right or fair. You're flying tomorrow, and I need to let you go home and get some sleep. I apologize for being so weak, foolish and selfish. I'll talk to you later." she said quietly, as she stood up to leave.

Will stood instantly and blocked her way.

Wrapping her in a close hug, he drawled in her ear, "Ah'm here now. Throw it all on me, Ah got broad shoulders. There is nothing to apologize for. Just tell me what you need. Ah'll give as much as Ah can. You are a Strike Witch and a Warrior woman, but y'all are still human, and every human needs help, especially those of us coming back to 'the world'. So, please sit down and tell me all about it. I've got a couple of big ears" and he smiled at that. "And Ah've been known to be a decent listener."

He turned to Max, and said, "Max, can y'all get the lady another hot chocolate, please?" Max just nodded and parked another cup in front of Audrey.

Audrey drank the hot chocolate. The warm weight of the cup in her hands and the hot sweetness of the chocolate were like an anchor to reality to her. The words came, first hesitantly and guardedly, but quickly became a flood of partial sentences, and sharp declarations. Will just listened, with only an occasional reassurance or question to clarify a point. Audrey poured everything out, all of her fears, hurts and humiliations to Will, sobbing the whole time. She couldn't stop it, even if she wanted to. Will kept the hot chocolate coming and continued to listen.

After 4 more mugs of hot chocolate, both of them were surprised when Max gently reminded them that he had to close the bar in 15 minutes. Both Will and Audrey stood up to leave. Will extended his hand to Audrey as he said. "Let me drive you back to the BOQ." Too fatigued and conflicted to argue, Audrey just nodded.

The ride back to the BOQ was only a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to Audrey. Will drove silently, leaving it to Audrey to say something. Arriving at the BOQ, he got out of his car, and opened the door for Audrey.

Audrey got out and turned to go, not looking at Will. She felt so embarrassed and ashamed. She had poured out all her fears, hurts, embarrassments and humiliations to Will. _He probably thinks I'm some weak pitiful excuse of a Witch. I feel so_ _weak,_ _foolish and selfish!_ She thought. She was surprised as he pulled her into a warm embrace. She found herself leaning on his chest, drinking in his warmth, strength and steadiness. Will's hand came up and started stroking her unbound hair. He brushed a kiss on her forehead and that was enough to blow away what little composure she had. She burst into tears, her body wracked by her sobs. Audrey grabbed Will and hung onto to him, as if he was the last life preserver she'd ever see. An irreverent part of her mind noted that she had forgotten to put on a bra when she got dressed, and her embarrassment increased dramatically when she realized how closely she was holding Will to her chest. Like the gentleman he was, Will never gave a hint that he realized how under dressed Audrey was, but continued to be that tower of warmth, strength and solidity she desperately needed.

Audrey drew away from him reluctantly, as her sobbing slowed and she started blushing furiously, thanking whoever that it was dark in front of the BOQ. She wiped her eyes, and looked up at Will.

"Thank you for coming and listening to me being so weak, selfish and foolish. Thank you for the hot chocolate and for being there when I needed someone. I'm sorry to call you so late, when I knew you were flying later today. I owe you so much, and I don't know how to repay you." she whispered.

Will brushed her cheek with his hand, and she leaned into the touch.

"Audrey, y'all don't owe me anything. A friend called for help and I was lucky enough to be there and able to do something." He smiled that slow unhurried smile that Audrey loved. "Call me later today and we'll have dinner. In fact, if you need me, call and I'll get to you as soon as Ah can. Ah just wanna make sure y'all are okay." He pulled her close for a passionate kiss. "Get some sleep and see how things look in the light of day. Just know that you're one of the strongest people Ah've ever known, and you can beat this thing. And Ah'll be right there with you every step of the way, because Ah love you."

 _WHAT!?_ Audrey's mind screamed. Her head snapped up and she stared at his face, looking for any sign that he may be kidding or joking. Nope, not a one. In fact he seemed unusually serious and intense.

She hugged him again, and whispered, "I love you too" She turned her face up to him and said loudly "I think I'll be okay now. You need to get home and get some sleep. Can't have you doing the zombie bit during preflight." She turned him towards his car and gave him a gentle push.

"Go home, I'll be fine." she said in a lighter voice.

Will turned his head towards Audrey, that slow unhurried smile spreading across his face.

"Y'all be fine? Y'all sure don't look long, thin and narrow." Audrey threw up her hands, doing her best not to burst our in giggles.

"Go home!" she yelled at him with a smile. He got in his car and drove off. Audrey stood there and watched as his tail lights vanished in the distance.

Audrey didn't remember getting back to her room at all. One moment she was watching Will's tail lights disappear into the darkness, the next she was standing by her desk. As she was getting undressed for bed, she wryly noted that she hadn't been wearing a bra. _Just as I thought, I forgot to put on a bra when I got dressed tonight! Ah well, as least Will was gentleman enough not to notice or mention it._ She was so exhausted and wrung out, that she fell into a deep dreamless sleep almost instantly.

In the morning, all of the instructional staff was called into a conference room by Colonel Washington. Looking serious and grim, she announced in a flat voice "Ladies, I want to announce that Captain Sandra Miller suffered cardiac arrest as a result of her injuries, and passed away at 0430 this morning. Lt. Colonel Green will coordinate all the paperwork for Sassy, who has been named as next of kin. Sassy has also been placed on bereavement leave as of today. I want Captain Gains and Johnson to gather all of Captain Miller's personal effects. The funeral will take place on Saturday noon at the base chapel and you are all welcome to attend. Burial will take place at the base cemetery after the funeral with full military honors. I've appointed Captain Carlson from the Admin Squadron and Major Grimes from the Maintenance squadron as liaisons and observers to the Accident Investigation team. Also, classes are canceled for today. Gunner, Squeaky, Boings and JJ, I'd like to speak to you after this meeting. Dismissed ladies."

Audrey joined JJ, Squeaky and Gunner in gathering around Colonel Washington. "Ladies, I'd like all of you to fly a "Missing Witch" formation over the base cemetery Saturday afternoon. Gunner, please coordinate with Nellis ATC. It will be between 1300 and 1500. Boings, you and JJ pack up all of Sandy's stuff in her desk and locker. All of it goes. I'll settle the statement of charges with Supply later. Pick up boxes as needed from Supply. When you're done, seal them, sign and date them and then notify Supply for pick up. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. "Dismissed ladies."

Audrey and JJ went to Supply to get boxes. They decided that Audrey would pack up Sandy's locker and JJ would do her desk. With the help of an airman from the squadron's security detachment to cut the lock, Audrey carefully removed Sandy's name tag from the locker door. There wasn't all that much to pack. Just 4 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of sandals, one full flight suit, 2 flight jackets, 2 flight helmets, 2 pairs of sunglasses, a hair brush, and a handful of hair ornaments. The last things to go in the box were the mirror on the inside of the door, and the photos of Sandy and Sassy that were tacked up on the inside of the locker.

After notifying Supply that Sandy's effects had been packed and were ready for pick up, Audrey got a message slip from the Admin office. The message was from Will, and said that he'd be at the O Club at 1730 and asked her to join him for dinner. Audrey noted the time of the message and figured he made the call before take-off. She decided to call him later when he landed. She needed to ask him about what he said last night.

At around 1530, Audrey called the 66th Squadron instructor lounge.. The phone was picked up on the first ring. "Instructor lounge, 66th Fighter Weapons." growled a gravelly male voice.

Audrey said, her voice sounding steadier and more confident than she felt. "I'd like to speak with Captain William Robinson, please."

"Wait one" growled the voice. Audrey heard a muffled "Yo Danger! Some chick wants to talk to you! Hope she looks a good as she sounds!"

Will's voice came on the line. "Robinson here" he said, in a businesslike tone

Audrey said "Will?"

Will's voice changed to a concerned tone instantly. "Audrey? Howgozit? Are you okay? What can I do?"

"I'm fine, Will. Just wanted to let you know I'd love to have dinner with you tonight. Today was better than yesterday, but it still sucked. I think I need to talk." Audrey answered, trying to keep the nervous quaver out of her voice.

"Dinner is on. As Ah said last night, if you need to talk, Ah've got a couple of big ears and all the time you need. Ah'll see you there at 1730, okay?" answered Will, sounding relieved.

Audrey hung up and went back to her room. She took a shower, shampooed and conditioned her hair. Drying her hair, she then carefully brushed it out, realizing that it now came down to her mid back. She debated on dressing up or not. _No_ she thought. _I'm not going to hide behind all that_ _stuff_ _. I want him to see me with no makeup, no perfume, no fancy dress! I want him to see the basic, fundamental_ _real_ _me when I ask him if he truly meant what he said last night._ After gathering her hair in a hasty ponytail, she put on a bra, green bikini shorts, ankle socks, a pair of running shoes, her squadron t-shirt and baseball cap. She stuffed her wallet and keys in her purse and headed to the O Club.

Audrey arrived at the O club and headed straight for the bar. She was feeling nervous, jittery, uncertain and afraid. _Just one drink to take the edge off_ she thought _._ She went up to the bar and waved at Max.

"Wild Turkey and Seven, Max" she said.

The drink arrived and Audrey checked her chronometer. Will should be here in another 30 minutes. She picked up the drink, and drank it in one slow long drink. It took a few minutes, but she noticed the world slowing down, as a warm glow suffused her and her nervousness faded to the back of her mind.

Audrey walked out to the lobby as Will came in the door. He greeted her with a hug and light kiss. If he noticed the alcohol on her breath, he gave no indication. Dinner went quickly. Will ordered his usual steak, but Audrey decided on Caesar salad. His head snapped around, as if he heard a tone from his radar warning receiver that he'd been painted by an enemy targeting radar. This was unusual for Audrey and the change put him on guard. His expression didn't change, but he let Audrey guide the conversation during their meal.

After dinner, both of them had coffee. The warm glow from the drink was fading and Audrey's nervousness was returning with a vengeance. She was torn. She wanted to hear the truth about last night from Will, but she was afraid that it was just a slip in the moment and it didn't mean anything. Audrey couldn't say what she wanted, so she kept sipping her coffee and looking down at her cup.

Will moved his chair next to Audrey. Taking hold of her chin gently, he turned her face towards him, looking directly into her eyes.

With his slow unhurried drawl taking on a businesslike tone, he said. "Audrey, Ah think Ah know what y'all wanted to ask me. Y'all want to know if what Ah said last night was real.'

Audrey steeled to hear his denial, trying to focus on her logical and objective side. _He's going to say it was a slip in the heat of the moment and that he realized that he made a mistake in saying it._ She thought miserably. She could feel her world collapsing around her.

Will continued in that slow unhurried businesslike drawl. "Ah just wanted to say that Ah mean it more now than Ah did last night. Y'all are the most magnificent woman Ah've ever known. Ah don't care if. you're weak or strong, wise or foolish, generous or selfish. It's all part of you and what made you the woman you are today. And Ah love all of you. Ah do love you so much and Ah am so happy and pleased to tell you so. So does that answer y'all's question?"

Audrey's nervousness, tension, uncertainty and fear vanished in an instant. The weight and grip on her heart released instantly, leaving her feeling light headed, almost like negative Gs. She burst into tears, sobbing with relief. She hugged Will, and sloppily kissed as she unabashedly cried. Through her sobs, she blurted out. "I love you too!" She grabbed for spare napkins, doing her best to clean up and regain her composure. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I didn't mean to break down like this." as she kept crying with relief while trying to clean up, to the cheers of nearby patrons.

Will smiled that slow unhurried smile of his. "How about some dessert, Audrey? Ah hear they've got some killer chocolate triple fudge cake with ice cream. Would y'all like some?"

Dessert was even more wonderful than it was advertised to be. Audrey was so embarrassed that she couldn't keep from crying through it all. When they parted after dessert, Audrey couldn't stop kissing him and hanging on to him as if he'd dematerialize and vanish as if he had never been. After repeated reassurances, hugs, and kisses, with a promise to call tomorrow, Audrey reluctantly let Will go home.

Audrey almost floated back to her room. What had started as the worst evening of her life, turned into the best evening of her life. The lightheadedness she had before left her feeling giddy, almost euphoric, and she laughed out loud just to express her joy and happiness. She undressed and laid down, thinking the euphoria would keep her awake. But the toll on her energy and the Wild Turkey and Seven she had was too much to overcome and she was snoring in minutes.

The rest of the week dragged on, the somber mood permeating everything. The students were uncertain and confused, but the instructional staff stuck to the ground curriculum and drove the classes forward. The squadron was still grounded, as the Accident Investigation team plowed through their work. There was no word yet, but the seven member team spent most of them time at University Medical Center, the base hospital and in the hanger reserved for their use.

On Saturday, Audrey, JJ, and Squeaky reported to the squadron's main hanger at noon. Gunner was already there, and she briefed them on the current mission. It was relatively simple. They would take off when the Colonel notified them that the burial procession reached the base cemetery. Nellis ATC had cleared the area over the cemetery from 1200 to 1500. Once airborne, Gunner would be flight lead. They would form up in a 'finger-four' formation, with Gunner as lead. Audrey on her right wing, Squeaky on her left, and JJ on Squeaky's left wing. When they were to do the fly-over at the cemetery, they would drop to 500 feet, slow to 250 knots. Squeaky would pull up out of formation and then bank hard right and form up on Audrey's right wing as they flew over the cemetery. After the fly-over, they would return to base, land and do a quick debrief.

The mission went off smoothly without a hitch. After landing and locking their Strikers in their cradles, everyone went home. Everyone was quiet, preoccupied with their own thoughts. Audrey didn't know Sandy well, but Sandy had always been cheerful, friendly and helpful during Audrey's first days as a new instructor. She wished she had gotten to know Sandy better.

Instruction had taken on a new routine, with no flight training. Nothing of note happened during the next few weeks. Classes graduated, and there was a lull, as new classes for the summer awaited confirmation of the student's attendance. The instructional staff caught up on paperwork and other administrative tasks as well as other official personal matters.

Some six weeks after Sandy's crash, Colonel Washington called an all staff meeting. Coming into the conference room, Audrey saw another officer on the stage along with Colonel Washington. Colonel Washington came to the dais, and as everyone filed in and took seats, she began speaking.

Colonel Washington said, "Ladies, this is Colonel Arrington, senior officer of the Accident Investigation team. Colonel Arrington has informed me that his team has completed their investigation and are preparing to file their final report. Colonel Arrington has shared that report with me, and after reading it, I feel these findings needed to be shared with you ladies. I'll let Colonel Arrington explain what they found and how it may affect you. Colonel Arrington?"

Colonel Arrington stepped up to the microphone. He was of average height and build, looking like an academic. The lights shown on his balding head, as he fished out a pair of reading glasses, and shuffled the papers on the dais before him. Adjusting his reading glasses, he began to speak in a mild tenor voice.

"Good afternoon, ladies. I am here to present the conclusions of my team's investigation of Captain Sandra Miller's incident of about 6 weeks ago. We believe that during a touch and go approach at Indian Springs Airfield, Captain Miller collided with a large bird. This bird, apparently turned out to be an 80 pound Canadian Goose. Captain Miller was at about 300 feet altitude, with an airspeed of about 250 knots when she collided with the bird. Apparently this impact hit her in the left side of the face, fracturing both C-2 and C-3 vertebrae as well as seriously bruising her spinal cord. Because of her injuries, her Striker lost power and control, landing hard beside runway 1A at Indian Springs. The tower crew alerted SAR, which arrived in 10 minutes. They recovered Captain Miller, stabilized her as best they could and airlifted her to University Medical Center, where she died of her injuries without regaining consciousness."

Colonel Arrington shuffled his papers, adjusted his glasses and continued. "We were lucky to recover the voice and flight data recorders from Captain Miller's Striker. One of our significant questions was, did Captain Miller deploy her shields? Examining the flight data recorder showed a significant drop in magic used by the Striker seconds before the collision. We also examined Captain Miller's medical records. They showed a steady drop in shield effectiveness over the last three flight physicals, and that Captain Miller barely met minimum standards for shield effectiveness during her last flight physical a year ago."

Colonel Arrington paused, as if he was about to deliver unpleasant news. He said, in a dry, objective tone that hid his anguish. "After gathering all the data we could, we spent a significant amount of time analyzing it. From our analysis, we conclude that the bird appeared in front of Captain Miller too close to take evasive action. With only a few seconds to react, she attempted to put up her shields. Unfortunately, Captain Miller's magic capacity had degraded to the point where her shield were not effective, even when she pulled magic from her Striker. The bird crashed through her shield and then crashed into her, causing the crash. My team's final conclusion is that this was an accident, compounded by the diminished magic capacity of the Witch, which led to her death." He stepped down from the dais and sat down.

Colonel Washington took the dais again. In a somber voice, she said, "Thank you for that summation of your report, Colonel Arrington." Turning back to the crowd before her, her voice and manner became stern and commanding. "Ladies, I'm sure you're all as dismayed by this news as I am. Therefore, I am ordering new policies put into place immediately. Anyone on flight status will get a full flight physical to be completed no later than close of business this Friday. This will include a full work up of magical capacity and utilization. If anyone is found to be within 10% of the minimum standards for magic capacity, you will be grounded, no exceptions. Furthermore, quarterly testing and evaluation of magic capacity and utilization will commence for all Witches assigned to Fighter Weapons. General Jablonski has been informed of the findings of the Accident Investigation team and fully backs and supports these policy changes. Any questions, ladies? No? Dismissed."

Audrey's flight physical was scheduled for Wednesday, and the flight surgeon put her through the wringer. She was gratified that her physical condition remained the same from her physical two years ago, even though she gained some seven pounds. She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered that her magic capacity and utilization had held steady as well. She'd be able to stay on flight status!

That evening, Will took her out to dinner at the Dunes. Since flight operations wouldn't be restored until the testing of all the Witches was complete, Audrey decided to have a couple of drinks to unwind from the emotional roller coaster of the past couple of months. She got silly and giggly over dinner, even if it was tempura prawns.

Will finished his steak and said, "Audrey, Ah've got ta go to the Pentagon next week. TAC command has summoned me for something, but no one knows what's going on. It may be about the new generation of fighters that are coming on line for acceptance testing, or it may be about something else entirely. Just know that Ah'll be back and that Ah still love you."

Impulsively, Audrey threw her arms around him and gave him a deep passionate kiss. "That's right, you'd better come back to me or I'll bomb and strafe the Pentagon until they send you back." she whispered fervently.


	11. Memory Flashback

It has been a long time since I posted. I have been dealing with real life issues as well as writer's block on the next chapters. I will update as soon as I can. In the meantime, here's an incident from Audrey's first tour in Vietnam

* * *

June 1965

Saigon, South Vietnam

Audrey and Mary Ann were 4 months into their tour in Vietnam against the Neuroi. The pace of missions had been driving them hard, often flying 2-3 sorties a day. Their squadron, the 166th Air Support, had been hit hard with losses, as the Neuroi were fiercely fighting back against the close air support strikes. Over a third of the squadron had been lost in combat, and that, along with the pace of missions took its toll on the remaining Witches. As replacement Witches, Strikers and material flowed in, the 166th was rotated back to Da Nang, and put on a one month stand down as the new Witches and equipment were integrated with the rest of the Squadron.

One side effect was that the remaining Witches were granted passes as a way to help them relax and refresh themselves. Audrey and Mary Ann were each given a 4 day pass! Both were excited. This was their first chance tour a foreign country (Canada didn't count) and they both decided to explore Saigon.. Both were cute 14 year old girls who just happened to be Strike Witches, so hitching a helo ride from Da Nang to Saigon proved easy

The jeep drive from the Embassy where the helo landed, was an experience. Saigon proved to be more crowded, noisy, chaotic and colorful than either Audrey or Mary Ann had ever experienced before. It was also very hot and muggy, as only a Saigon summer day could be. By the time they arrived at the AFRC hotel, both of them were tired, hot, sweaty, sticky and just not feeling well. Both Audrey and Mary Ann felt a lot better after each of them took a hot bath and changed.

Coming down to the lobby, the two girls went into the bar, accompanied by a bouncer. By Liberion Armed Forces Regulations, Witches between the age of 14 and 16 were allowed in the bars of any Liberion Armed Forces establishment, but had to be accompanied at all times by designated establishment personnel. They would not be allowed alcoholic drinks until they turned 18. They took seats at the bar and waved at the bartender.

The bartender was named Jean Michel, a Gallian who had been in Vietnam for many years. Rumor had it that he had been a member of the famed Gallian Foreign Legion, who had escaped from a Neuroi prison camp after the Legion's heroic stand and fall at Dien Bien Phu. He was stocky, muscular, with dark hair and eyes and an unmistakable burn on his left cheek, reputedly from a close encounter with a Neuroi beam weapon.

Jean Michel came over to Audrey and Mary Ann. He wiped the bar in front of them and smiled. "What would _Mademoiselle_ like to drink tonight?" he asked in Gallian accented Brittanian.

Mary Ann spoke up brightly. "We heard there are some really great places to taste Vietnamese cuisine. Can you recommend any?"

Jean Michel thought for a moment. "There is one place that is supposed to be very good. It's on a street on the opposite side of the square here. They take Liberion dollars too. If you want, I could show you the way."

Audrey responded, "We don't want to take you away from your work..We can find it ourselves and it will give us a chance to explore some on our own. Thank you!"

Audrey and Mary Ann dashed out of the hotel and into the square. They soon became engrossed in all vendors lining square. The plethora of different items from clothing to jewelry to electronics was astounding. Mary Ann started haggling with an old man and after several minutes, came away with a new Sonny tape recorder for only twenty dollars.

They both continued on, so enthralled by all the activity around them, that they weren't looking where they going. They soon found themselves on a narrow, dark, almost deserted street. Turning back the way they came, didn't disclose any familiar landmarks. Night was falling and the street got dark and even more narrow.

A group of men emerged from one of the buildings, and started approaching Audrey and Mary Ann. The girls backed away from them, until they realized there was another group of men behind them.

As the men surrounded them, talking excitedly among themselves in Vietnamese, Audrey and Mary Ann turned back to back, as the men closed in on them.

As the men reached for them, both girls connected with their familiars, a red fox for Audrey, a badger for Mary Ann, and they threw up their shields, knocking the men away. The girls were tired and hungry as it was, and the heat and humidity of the day was further draining them. Exhausted as they were, it was only a few minutes before their energy and magic faltered. Their shields failed, and the men closed in and one of them grabbed Mary Ann's arm.

Mary Ann screamed and tried to kick one, but got slapped hard in the face. Audrey rushed to her rescue, punched the guy who grabbed Mary Ann in the face and kicked him in the groin. He let go of Mary Ann's arm and collapsed to the ground in pain. Audrey pulled Mary Ann back to her as the men began to close in on them again.

There was a loud commotion up the street and everyone turned around to see. what was going on/ Stepping into the dim illumination of the solitary street light, was a man, dragging one of the men from the crowd by his collar. The man being dragged was dropped against the lamp post and the other man stepped into the light. He was tall and broad shouldered, with impeccably groomed dirty blonde hair. Square wire rimmed glasses gave an intellectual air to the hard planes of his face. The eyes behind the glasses were a cool poised blue. He was wearing a gray suit with a white shirt and black tie. He was carrying an umbrella.

One the men broke away from the group surrounding Audrey and Mary Ann, and ran at the man in the suit, screaming inarticulately. His hands reaching for the man in the suit's neck, he stopped cold when his face met an iron hard hand. He then collapsed in agony as an umbrella handle buried itself into his gut. As a last gesture, an expensive shoe kicked him aside.

The man in the suit walked confidently up to the group that had Audrey and Mary Ann trapped. He apparently identified one man as the leader of the mob, and began speaking to him in fluent Vietnamese.. The leader answered back angrily, but the man in the suit kept speaking. After a few minutes of calm speech from the man in the suit and angry responses from the leader, the leader seemed to visibly wilt. He turned around shouted something to the mob, who backed away from Audrey and Mary Ann.

The man in the suit strode up to the girls. He leaned over slightly, and asked, " _Frauleins_ , are you all right?" in Karlsland accented Brittanian. Both Audrey and Mary Ann both nodded, not being able to speak at the moments.

He seemed sigh in relief. "Come then, let us leave this place." he said, gesturing down the street. Audrey grabbed Mary Ann's hand and tugged her in the indicated direction, until Mary Ann started walking on her own. The man in the suit turned and followed them closely.

As the three of them were walking, the baritone voice behind them asked, " _Frauleins,_ are you staying at the AFRC hotel?"

Without turning around, Mary Ann finally found her voice, and answered "Yes, we are".

" _Gut,_ I will guide you there." he said, calmly.

By this time, curiosity finally got the better of Audrey. She turned around to look at their rescuer. "So who are you and what are you doing here?: she asked, a little sharply.

The man in the suit smiled. He straightened up and bowed slightly, "Please forgive my poor manners. I am Peter Von Luck, and I am a member of the Karlsland Embassy staff. I just happened to be passing when I saw you f _rauleins_ in distress.." he said.

He continued walking, and looked back at Audrey. "Shall we go? I need to speak with Jean Michel." he asked. Audrey shook her head and followed him and Mary Ann.

Arriving back at the AFRC hotel, all three went into the bar. Peter waved towards the bar and called out "Jean Michel!" Jean Michel saw Peter and cried out , " _Bon Jour,_ Herr Von Luck!" They soon settled into a lively conversation that neither Audrey or Mary Ann could understand, since Peter was speaking Karlslander and Jean Michel was replying in Gallian. They could only assume the conversation was about them because of the way Peter was gesturing towards them, and shaking his head. Jean Michel responded with laughter at most of what Peter said.

Finally, Peter straightened and shook Jean Michel's hand. He turned to Audrey and Mary Ann and said, "I am glad you are safe aned untouched. It would have been a tragedy if two of the Strike Witches from Liberion fighting against the Neuroi were kidnapped and sold into slavery." Both Audrey's and Mary Ann's eye went wide with shock. "I would advise staying close to the hotel for the rest of your stay. Have a nice visit in Saigon. _Auf Wiedersehen, Frauliens_." He straightened up, bowed slightly and disappeared into the bar crowd.

Jean Michel came and poured a couple of Cokes for the girls. Mary Ann grabbed his arm and asked excitedly, "Is Peter really a member of the Karlsland Embassy staff? Isn't he some kind of spy? Is he really that dangerous?"

Jean Michel rubbed his chin, his callouses rasping against his beard. He started speaking slowly, " _Mademoiselle_ , Herr Von Luck is indeed a member of Karlsland's Embassy staff. He is an officer of Karlsland's Luftwaffe, assigned as a military attache' to the embassy. The Ambassador designated him as his Special Assistant. What he does there, I do not know. But he always seems to pop up when and where he's needed. He often comes into possession of vital bits of information and he seems to know everyone and what they are doing. A spy? I cannot say. But I would heed his advice, which he does not give lightly. If you stay in and around the hotel, I will guarantee your safety and well being."

Both Audrey and Mary Ann finished their Cokes and went into the hotel restaurant to get some dinner. They ate quietly, and went back up to their room when they finished . It had been a harrowing day. The thought that they could have been sold into slavery was frightening.

As they got ready for bed, Mary Ann said, "Wasn't it exciting that we got rescued by a real life spy?"

Audrey replied. "You heard Jean Michel, he's not a spy, just a 'Special Assistant to the Ambassador'"

Mary Ann exclaimed, "But you heard what else Jean Michel said!. He knows everyone and what they're doing! He turns up when and where he's needed! He gets vital information! And 'Special Assistant to the Ambassador' is just the kind of title a spy would have! He's got to be one, just like James Bond!"

Audrey groaned. Once Mary Ann got convinced of something, nothing could change her mind. "Go to bed, I'm tired after today!" she snapped as she turned out the light and rolled over.

But Audrey couldn't help wondering, When and where would Peter Von Luck appear, and would she see him again?


	12. Chapter 11A

Summer 1973

67th Fighter Weapons Squadron

USAF Fighter Weapons School

Nellis AFB

Las Vegas NV

With the end of classes, the normal annual rotation of instructors was taking place. The rotation normally involves about 10% of all instructors. Most are rotated to operational commands, taking their place again as pilots and combat Witches. Others, mostly Witches, decide to retire and leave the Air Force. Sassy Jackson was one of them, and a replacement was due by the end of the month.

Will's trip to the Pentagon and TAC (Tactical Air Command) turned into nearly a month away. He and Audrey exchanged phone calls every night, but most recently, he had been quiet and evasive about what he had been working on with TAC. Since his return, he been very busy, researching, collating data and writing. During their dates, he was quiet, serious and preoccupied. Audrey was concerned, but didn't want to push him. _He's a grown man, and he know what he's doing. If he needs my help, he'll say so_ she thought..It still didn't make her feel very comfortable.

Audrey and Will continued to date, but Audrey's sense of certainty and security was shaken by Will's continued preoccupation and silence. She called on all of her charm. Intuition and perception, trying to get some information on what was bothering Will, but it was like she trying to read a blank wall. She was sure it had to do with his trip to the Pentagon and meetings with TAC. Discreetly asking his fellow instructors and colleagues produced similar unsatisfying results.

Audrey became more concerned as Will's mood darkened, and he became grimmer and more stern. His attitude turned cynical and sharply sarcastic, though it was never directed towards her. This was a side she had never seen of him, and it frightened her. She wanted to help him, but she couldn't get any sort of relevant information on what was going on. He continued his silence as he did more research, data collating and writing. She noticed that he was no longer teaching, but spending a lot of time with Majors Erickson and Thomas, the operations officers of the 66th and 67th Squadrons, as well as with Major "Grumpy" Laura Henderson, a fellow instructor, on whatever he was working on. Asking Grumpy about what they were working on, produced only vague evasions.

"It's something very important., and it comes from the top, so we can't discuss it yet.." Grumpy said, cryptically.

After a couple of weeks of this, Audrey finally had had enough. _What could be_ _that_ _important?_ She thought. _Fine. He knows I can help him if he asks and lets me know what'_ _s going on_ _. If it's as important as G_ _rumpy_ _says it is, I'll just let him deal with it for now. But if he comes back to me_ _after this is over_ _, I think he owes me an apology for shutting me out like this!_ She thought angrily.

Audrey decided to concentrate on her own tasks. New classes of students were due in soon and there was word that a new instructor would be arriving, as well. She spent her time working on her lesson plan, working with the maintenance squadron to make sure that the Strikers would be ready for the rigors of the exercises that were planned.

She also began running and weight lifting by herself, since Will was so consumed by the work he was doing, that he couldn't take the time to work out with her. After working out with Will for more than 6 months, working out alone was boring, but she kept at it. It did help relieve some of the stress she was under.

One morning, Audrey was in the office she shared with JJ, working on presentations and handouts for the upcoming class. Gunner informed her that this would be her first international class, with 3 of the students from Karlsland, 3 from Britannia and 2 from Fuso. She wanted to make sure everything was clear and concise, even if everyone spoke Brittanian.

JJ stuck her head in and said, "Boings! The Colonel wants us in her office now. "

When they both arrived at Colonel Washington's office, she was doing her normal pacing behind her desk.

In her normal rapid-fire manner, Colonel Washington barked. "At ease, ladies. I want to introduce our new instructor." gesturing to the woman seated in the chair by the desk.

This is Captain Michelle Ramirez, nicknamed "Misty". She comes to us from the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. She's had her initial interview with Jabby and is eager to start.

Misty was a young woman, slightly taller than Audrey, and slimmer. Her jet -lack hair was pulled back into a bun on the back of her head, Her eyes were a dark brown that almost appeared as black as her hair. Her complexion was darker as well. Her face was thin with high cheekbones, a small nose and slightly square chin.

Turning to Misty, Colonel Washington declared, "Misty, these are your new guides This is Captain Judy Johnson, nicknamed JJ."

JJ waved, and said, "Hi there"

"And this is Captain Audrey Gains, nicknamed Boing Boing or simply Boings for short. Don't ask." Colonel Washington said, at Misty's questioning look.

Audrey said. "Welcome to Fighter Weapons"

"Hi! I'm glad to be here! I'm looking forward to teaching and working with all of you!" Misty replied in a bright cheery tone.

Turning to Audrey and JJ, Colonel Washington said "You two will be her guides. She'll sit in on your classes to get a feel on how things go. Help her get adjusted and up to speed. Give her all the help she needs on lesson planning, finding resources and working with the other instructors. Also, give her the latest scoop on what isn't written down. To facilitate that, Misty will take a spare desk in your office. Any questions?" Both Audrey and JJ shook their heads. "Good. You're all dismissed!" Colonel Washington declared.

Walking back to their shared office, both Audrey and JJ were chattering at Misty, filling her in on all the "facts of life" at the 67th.. For her part, Misty didn't seem to have an issue with both Audrey and JJ throwing information at her at the same time. She seemed to move smoothly between them, answering each coherently, despite being talked to at the same time by both of her mentors.

Arriving at their shared office, Audrey saw that Supply had performed a miracle. Normally, the small office was only large enough for the two desks, and was cramped when the bookcases were added. Somehow, Supply had managed to rearrange everything to squeeze another desk into the far left corner, moving the bookcases to the far right corner and the remaining two desks in the near left and right corners of the office. There was barely any space between the two chairs to squeeze into the far desk and all occupants of the office were going to have to be very friendly to work effectively. Fortunately, the door opened outward.

JJ had been happy and smiling, cracking jokes with Misty. This stopped when she partly closed the door and pointed to the base map on the back of it.

"Captain Ramirez, this is important and I need you to pay attention and remember this." JJ declared seriously.

"This is a map of the test and training ranges here at Nellis. This area, Area 51 and the area around Groom Lake are off-limits to all but authorized personnel, which does not include us." JJ stated, pointing at the arena between the northern and southern training ranges.

JJ continued. "If you violate the airspace over Area 51 and Groom Lake, if you aren't shot down, you will be forced down and imprisoned under the US Espionage Act of 1949 for no less than 35 years. There will be no clemency, no leniency, and no exceptions. Whatever they are doing there is beyond top secret, and it's one of those things you'd rather not know about."

"Okay, I gotcha, Nobody goes anywhere near Area 51 and Groom Lake." Misty said.

"Anyway Misty, there's your desk in the corner" Audrey said, as she pointed to the empty desk in the far left corner of the office.

Calming down, JJ took a closer look the desk in the corner of the office.

"Hey, how do you rate getting an IBM Selectric? Boings and I are stuck with these old manual Remingtons!" JJ exclaimed, in mock outrage.

"Go ahead and check out your desk and see how it fits." Audrey said.

As Misty turned sideways to get between the two office chairs, she pointed to something on Audrey's desk.

"What's that?" she inquired, leaning in for a closer look. "It's beautiful" she breathed.

"It was a birthday present, from my boyfriend." Audrey announced proudly as she picked up the Strike Witch figurine.

"And Boings still hasn't told us who he is" JJ remarked with a slightly acid edge to her voice.

"Everyone will meet him when he and I are ready" Audrey sighed in an exasperated tone.

Misty looked closely at the figurine, an unreadable expression on her face. Seeing Audrey looking at her, she smiled, and said "That's nice."

"You might as well as get started with your paperwork. Our Admin CO is really strict on getting things done soon and right." JJ said, pointing to the pile of papers on the new desk.

"Well, I'd better get to it. Excuse me."Misty said briskly. As she turned sideways to edge past Audrey.

Audrey turned sideways and leaned forward against her desk to let Misty get by. She flinched when she felt Misty's hand firmly on her back. Her eyes widened when she felt Misty press firmly against her bottom and thighs as she slid towards her desk. Disquieted, Audrey pulled out her chair and sat down and looked at Misty. Misty noticed Audrey looking at her, then smiled and winked at her. Audrey turned to her own paperwork, struggling with the uncomfortable feelings churning her stomach.

Over the next few weeks, Misty proved to be a quick study, almost instantly grasping all the procedures and techniques that were used in teaching. She also showed off her flair for teaching. She was quick witted, articulate, and knowledgeable, with a light touch that related well to her students. Her bright cheery attitude won her a number of friends among the instructional staff. All in all, she seemed to be adapting quickly, and fitting well.

Misty seemed to go out of her way to make friends, often inviting other instructors out for dinner and drinks every other Friday. And it seemed to work. She became popular with the other instructors and staff, often exchanging laughs and jokes with everyone. Misty appeared to be a "contact" person, often touching and hugging those she was around as a way to express her affection and connection to them. Audrey didn't think too much about it. After all, her Aunt Emily, who had doted on her and her sisters, had been one to do a lot of hugging as well. She worked hard as an instructor and passed her first quarterly evaluation with a number of encouraging comments.

In the meantime, Audrey's life was getting more and more difficult. Dates with Will had become dull and unsatisfying. He seemed to be only partly there, his attention wandering after working up to 18 hours a day on this "special project" he refused to tell her about. His mood had darkened even further and, try as he might, he became curt and short with Audrey. The last dinner date they had, Will spoke mostly in two syllable statements, again refusing to give Audrey any details on what he was doing, except to say that she "didn't have the need to know" again. Audrey left that last date in tears of anger and frustration, finally telling Will that she needed some time to think.

Audrey's foul mood carried over to her work. She was short and curt with everyone, except when she snarled at JJ for making comments about her unknown boyfriend. Needless to say, most of everyone gave her a wide berth,

Coming to the office after a morning workout one day, Audrey found a cup of coffee and a turnover on her desk. She picked up the coffee and sipped it. No cream and two sugars, just as she liked it. She picked up the turnover and bit into it. Apple, she decided, tasting the sweet fruit filling. The delicate flaky pastry holding the filling almost melted away in her mouth. Misty came into the office as Audrey had the coffee and turnover in her hands.

"Hope I got the coffee right for you. Did you like the turnover?" Misty asked.

"Yes, you did, and thank you for the turnover, as well. That was really nice of you." Audrey said appreciatively.

"I'm glad you liked it." Misty said quietly. She touched Audrey's hand holding her coffee, and gave her a quick hug, before she went to her desk.

That afternoon, a small box of chocolate appeared on Audrey's desk. Audrey was grateful and the gift lifted the dour mood of the day. Pastries and coffee continued to appear at her desk every morning, courtesy of Misty and Audrey appreciated it.

While Audrey had made friends at Fighter Weapons, none were as close as Juggs had been, and that was something that she deeply missed. She was thankful that Misty seemed to be going out of her way to be friends with her. They began socializing after work, and had begun working out together every morning.

After a few weeks, Misty invited Audrey out for dinner and drinks one Friday. They decided to meet at the O club for Seafood Night. Both Misty and Audrey dressed casually, which meant T-shirts, bikini shorts and tennis shoes with golf socks. Audrey ordered the shrimp cocktail, grilled halibut, tempura prawns, with the sauteed snow peas. Misty had the Cobb salad, baked salmon, shrimp scampi and the baked carrots.

They began talking about themselves, relating the details of their lives. Audrey was surprised that Misty had just turned 18, and that Fighter Weapons was her third assignment in the past 2 years. Misty was impressed that Audrey had two tours in Vietnam, and had been flying missions that Misty had only read about.

Talking and laughing, Misty suggested moving to the bar for a couple of drinks. They found a booth near the back of the bar and settled in, ordering drinks. Misty had a Jack Daniels and Coke, while Audrey had her usual Wild Turkey and 7Up. They were talking and laughing, and then the conversation swung to more personal details of their lives. Before she knew it, Audrey was on her fourth Wild Turkey and 7Up. Audrey started thinking about her situation with Will and her depression grew. Her gloom deepened with each succeeding drink, and she started sobbing.

"Audrey, are you okay? What's wrong?" Misty asked, as she moved from sitting across from Audrey to sitting beside her.

Audrey took another long swig of her drink, bowed her head and began sobbing again. Between sobs, she managed to gasp out the story with Will and what had happened in the past few months.

Misty hugged Audrey. "That's messed up! I wouldn't treat anyone that way! I wouldn't let anyone treat me that way!" she said hotly.

Misty went on passionately. "Listen Audrey, you don't need him. Men are so selfish and self centered. They do what they do and us women have to support them, cheer them on and encourage them. They don't care about what we want or need. If we want to do what we want and to be happy doing what we like, we have to take back the power to do it for ourselves, not depend on a man to give us permission to do so. We Witches are bound together by virtue of our magic. It's what men fear, we have a power that they can't control, unless they bind us to them through this construct called romantic love. By making us vulnerable to love, we fall under their influence and give them control over our power."

Misty continued on. "And make no doubt about it, we Witches are closer than sisters to each other. Only a Witch can understand and appreciate another Witch. Men can't understand, much less appreciate your beauty. Brains, charm, and sweetness the way I can. Men are so rough, crude and selfish. We can be gentle and caring with each other. The Sisterhood of Witches is powerful and that's what they fear the most. We can achieve anything we desire for ourselves."

Max the bartender came over and picked up both of their glasses. "I'm sorry Captains, but you're disturbing our other guests , so I'm going to have to cut you both off for tonight."

Misty pasted a bright cheery go-to-hell smile on her face. "That's okay, we were just getting ready to leave." she said brightly, as she threw a couple of twenties on the table. She stood,. maneuvering a limp and very drunk Audrey out of the booth. She put Audrey's left arm around her shoulders and grabbed Audrey's waist with her right arm. With Audrey swaying drunkenly against her, the two Witches staggered out of the O club.

They both managed to get to the corridor of the BOQ where they both had their rooms without any major incidents. Audrey was so out of it, that she didn't seem to notice the change in scenery, and was quietly mumbling to herself as Misty leaned her up against the wall by the door to Misty's room.

Misty studied Audrey closely, as Audrey leaned limply against the wall. _She's so beautiful, so open,_ _so vulnerable,_ _so ready,_ Misty thought. Making a decision, Misty moved closer to Audrey and pressed her lips to Audrey's in a passionate kiss.

The alcohol had dulled Audrey's awareness and reflexes, so she didn't react to the kiss. It wasn't until she felt one of Misty's hands firmly grasping one of her breasts, while the other hand dug into her bikini shorts, that her eyes flew wide open, becoming aware of what was being done to her. Unsteadily, she managed to push Misty back, squirming away from the hands taking intimate liberties with her body. She looked at Misty with a shocked expression, so stunned that she couldn't find anything to say.

For her part, Misty leaned her shoulder against the wall, crossed her arms and gave Audrey a lazy, triumphant smile. "Come on, Audrey. Let's go to my room and spend some time cuddling VERY closely together. You know you want to." She said, the smile turning into a leer.

Audrey looked around wildly, managing to discern her location. She backed away from Misty to her room, which was a few doors down. She fumbled with her keys, finally finding her room key. She looked at Misty again. She was still leaning against the wall, the triumphant smile now had a hungry edge to it. Seeing Misty's hungry, predatory expression, Audrey's stomach heaved dangerously.

"I-I-I've got to go" Audrey said nervously, as she unlocked her room door, darted in and locked it as fast as she could.

Audrey leaned back against the door. She knew that she was still drunk, and she was trying to process the night's events, hoping to find what started all this with Misty. Her stomach lurched even more wildly than a Striker avoiding Neuroi ground fire. She staggered unsteadily to the bathroom as fast as she could, barely making it in time to lose drinks, dinner and what seemed like lunch and breakfast as well. She stood unsteadily, feeling weak and drained, but not as nauseous. She splashed water on her face, and welcomed the sharp medicine taste of the mouthwash she gargled with.

Carefully making her way to her bed, Audrey sat down, then unclipped and let down her hair. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her golf socks. She then stripped off her t shirt and bra and then leaned back against the pillows. It was Friday, so she didn't have to worry about setting her alarm clock or anything else. Still weak, drained, more than a little drunk, shocked and confused by the events of the evening, she soon fell into a deep dreamless sleep and was snoring in minutes.

Audrey didn't wake up until close to noon. She was stiff and sore, because she hadn't moved at all last night. She was dry and dehydrated, and her mouth felt as dry and dusty as the desert on one of the training ranges. The sunlight coming through the curtains was way too bright, and the deafening rasping sound that seemed to dominate the room, was her own breathing. This all was nothing, compared to the incessant throbbing, pounding headache that felt like multiple Mk 81s detonating in sequence in her head, in time with her pulse. _Gods, it sucks to be me this morning_ she thought sourly.

Groaning, Audrey rolled out of bed. First things first. A half dozen aspirin washed down with as many glasses of water mostly quieted the headache after a few minutes, and slacked the dryness in her mouth. Turning on the shower till it was steaming, she stripped and stepped in. After scrubbing herself until her skin turned pink between her freckles, Audrey shampooed her hair with equal vigor, then let the hot water pour over her for a few minutes, before stepping out and wrapping herself in a towel.

After toweling herself dry, Audrey set to drying and brushing out her hair. She scowled at her reflection in the mirror. In spite of daily applications of sunscreen, her freckles were becoming more numerous and prominent. Now they not only on her face, they were sprinkled on her arms, chest, the upper surface of her breasts, her stomach and her legs. She turned around and saw more of them on her shoulders, back and even on her butt. _I'm cursed, that's the only thing that can explain this!_ She thought, as she turned back around, continuing to brush out her hair. Gathering her hair into a messy ponytail, she finished getting dressed, donned her dog tags, strapped on her chronometer, and stuffed her wallet and keys in her shorts pocket.

Arriving at the dining facility, Audrey decided on her hangover standard, scrambled eggs, wheat toast and orange juice. Just as she sat down and was ready to dig in, Misty sat at a table near her, appearing not to notice her. Audrey began shoveling in her food, wanting to get away from there as soon as she could. Just as she was almost finished, Misty raised her head, looked Audrey in the eye, and smiled that bright, feral predatory smile that sent shivers up her spine. Then she did something that chilled her even further. Misty winked at her and slowly licked her lips, as if she was anticipating a delicious feast. Audrey almost tripped and fell trying to get away as fast as she could.

And the whole weekend was like that. No matter where Audrey went, Misty was there as well, watching, smiling and anticipating. It got so bad, that Audrey locked herself in her room after lunch Sunday laying across her bed, wondering what Misty was planning.

 _Why is she watching me so closely? It's like she's hunting me!_ She thought. And then she remembered. Misty's familiar was an osprey, a predatory raptor. Audrey remembered seeing one on a camping trip when she was young. She marveled at how the bird had been perched motionless on a dead tree overlooking a lake, staring at the water with fierce unblinking eyes. Suddenly, the osprey took wing over the lake, and dived down into the water, emerging with a trout clutched in its talons that was easily twice its weight. She remembered it shrieking in triumph as it carried the fish back to its nest in the dead tree. _No wonder she's such an instinctive flier! Is she hunting me like that fish?_ She wondered, shuddering.

Monday morning found Audrey determined to get on with her life. She got up 2 hours before reveille, and went out to run 10 miles in the cool morning air. Finishing in a little over an hour, she came back to her room, showered and quickly got dressed in her blues.

After a quick breakfast, Audrey arrived at the office, to find a cup of coffee and a muffin on her desk. She pushed them aside, pulled out a pile of student paperwork and began the laborious task of reading and grading it. Audrey was engrossed in her work, she didn't hear Misty saunter in. Seeing Audrey with her head down, working hard, she quietly came up behind her chair, and began massaging her neck and shoulders.

Audrey was surprised at the touch, and angrily shrugged off Misty's hands. Misty put her hands back on Audrey's shoulders and leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Why don't you come over to my room tonight? We can spend time exploring each other secrets" she breathed

"I'm busy!" Audrey snapped.

Misty laughed in a way that sent chills up Audrey's spine. It seemed like everything Misty was doing and saying, was weaving a net to ensnare her.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you aren't the least bit curious?" Misty purred. She leaned closer to Audrey and whispered, "Don't be so shy and nervous. We can take our time and I promise I'll be gentle, since it's your first time."

Audrey turned and glared at Misty with all the outrage she could muster. Misty stood up and quietly said "There are only two types of Witches who aren't with other Witches. Those who won't admit they want to be, and those who don't know they want to be. Which one are you?"

Audrey abruptly stood up, forcing Misty to move away. She gathered up all her paperwork and stormed out of the office. She made her way to the lounge, and spent the remaining time before class finishing up the student papers. Class seemed to last forever, and Misty was always there. In the hallway, in the lounge, even in the bathroom. There seemed to be no avoiding her. Finally, when class was dismissed for the day, Audrey literally ran for the door and her quarters.

Getting to her room without seeing Misty around, Audrey hastily changed out of her uniform and into a t-shirt and bikini shorts. She desperately needed advice, so she picked up the phone and started to call home, but then stopped and put the phone back on the hook. It was Monday, so her dad and Hannah would be at volleyball practice until late. Her mother was working the swing shift at the hospital, so she wouldn't be home till late either. She thought of who she could call and talk about what had been happening the last few days. Then it dawned on her. She picked up the phone again and dialed a number she knew by heart.

But all she got was a mechanical voice saying "The number you have tried to reach has been changed. The new number is 253-242-5606."

Writing it down, Audrey dialed it immediately. The other line picked up on the first ring, and a raspy soprano voice answered "Gains and Rogers residence."

In a voice mixed with relief and happiness, Audrey said "Auntie Em, is that you?"

There was a slight hesitation and the voice responded. "Audrey! It's so good to hear from you! We haven't seen you since you returned from Vietnam! What's going on? Your mom told us you were now an instructor at Fighter Weapons! How is Jabby? Tell me all about you and what's been happening."

Audrey breathed a sigh of relief. Emily Gains was her father's youngest sister, only a few years younger than her mother. When Audrey was born, she was a newly minted Strike Witch Lieutenant in the Liberion Air Force, who had been sent to Kita. A few years after returning from Kita, Emily left the Air Force, and found herself feeling alone and isolated, so she became closer to her big brother's family, turning into the doting aunt to her young nieces.

When Audrey came into her magic and found a familiar at the age of seven (most Witches don't show any sign of magic until they're 11 or 12), Janet called on Emily to help Audrey learn to cope with the early onset of her magic. She became like a big sister, mentor, guide, confidant, and sounding board to both Audrey and Kerry, as they both grew into their magic.

Emily had been Audrey's inspiration to join the Air Force as a Strike Witch, after hearing her stories of her time in Kita with the 44th Joint Fighter Wing, an international unit fighting the Neuroi. She used her influence to help gain a US Senator's endorsement for Audrey to join the Air Force and be selected for Strike Witch flight training. In some ways, Audrey was as close to Emily as she was to her own mother.

Audrey took a deep breath and tried to blurt out everything that happened in the past five years in one breath. Emily laughed and told Audrey to take her time and not leave out any of the details. She was very concerned on how Audrey had reacted to learning that her magic was diminishing, and applauded her for taking the proactive steps to stay in the Air Force, even if she wasn't in a front line squadron. Emily asked several questions about Juggs, Jabby, and the whole curriculum that Audrey was teaching at Fighter Weapons. She almost squealed in delight about Will and was distressed to hear about their difficulties

"All right, Oddball, what's going on? You didn't call me just to catch up. What can I help you with?" Emily said, in a brisk tone.

Audrey paused for a moment. No one else had ever used that nickname, except for Emily. She had forgotten how perceptive Emily was in picking up on her moods and feelings. She took a deep breath and poured out everything about her and Misty, including the past few days and her feelings of being hunted, like a prey animal.

Emily listened to all Audrey had to say. When Audrey paused, after asking for help in deciding how to deal with the situation with Misty, there was silence for a few moments.

"I can certainly give you advice on dealing with your problem, but I need to tell you something, and make a confession." Emily said quietly.

Audrey gripped the phone tightly. Was she going to suggest she resign her commission and leave the Air Force, give in to Misty, or some other radical action?

"I have to tell you that I'm a lesbian. I prefer being with other women. Christine and I are a bonded couple and we've even bought a house together in Kent. Your parents have known this about me for a long time. I actually told them before I shipped out to Kita. I apologize for not being honest enough to tell you the truth before, but I feel I had to do this now. Hopefully this doesn't change anything between us, and that we can still be family." Emily said in a small, quiet apologetic voice.

Audrey was surprised, but then she wasn't. All the strange occurrences around Emily, her total disinterest in dating and cute guys, her lack of a boyfriend or husband, her hugely enthusiastic greeting of Christine when she came to Seattle, the way the way the two of them seemed inseparable, it all made sense now.

"You're still my Auntie Em, you're still someone I trust to give me good advice and we'll always be family." Audrey declared strongly.

"Thank you" Emily said quietly.

"Now listen up, Oddball. I know how you want everyone to get along, and how you hate hurting other people, but you have to do precisely what I say, or there no way stopping this woman, Is that clear?" Emily stated, her tone becoming stern and commanding.

"First of all, you have to tell her in no uncertain terms, that you will never have anything to do with her outside of work. That your life is your own and that you have decided that she will never be with you in the way she wants. That the decision is final and not open for negotiation or discussion. Got that, Oddball.?" Emily commanded sternly

"But what good will that do? Doesn't she already know I don't?" Audrey almost whined.

"It's as much for you as it is for her. You have to clearly state your view and set the boundary on what's acceptable to you. If she crosses that, you can take further action, knowing she was warned beforehand. For you, it means you have decided what you will accept and that you put your own personal integrity above someone imposing their will on you." Emily continued in her stern commanding tone.

"Second thing, inform your squadron CO on what's going on. This is something they need to know. If there is a problem of inappropriate behavior under their command, they are bound by duty to deal with it to preserve the cohesion and morale of their unit. Besides, having the brass on your side sure beats having to oppose them." Audrey could almost hear the smile in Emily's voice at the last part.

"Third, spend as little time as possible in close proximity of her. If you share an office or classroom, see if you can move to a different space. If you can't, spend as little time as possible in her company, and always do so in the presence of others. Don't let her get you alone any place." Emily declared.

"Finally, and this is most important, continue on with your activities, no matter if she's there or not. Don't let her mere presence around the places you like and form part of you daily routine force you to change. Ignore her and continue on with whatever it is you normally do. Don't let her dictate what you do, where you go, who you see or force you into doing anything you don't want to do." Emily said in a more encouraging tone.

 _So that's what needs to be done. How long is it going to take? What kind of collateral damage will there be? Why did it have to come to this? Why can't we all just get along?_ Audrey thought despairingly.

Emily's tone softened, sounding like the trusted older sister and confidant of her childhood. "Look, I know this is going to be hard on you, that you're going to have to do things you hate, but there isn't another way. It's going to take some time and you've got to know you can do it."

"Okay, if I gotta." Audrey said in a reluctant, semi-whiny, childlike voice, with an overtone of giggles.

"Yes, you gotta" Emily chuckled.

Continuing on in a more serous tone, Emily said "Let's get this started tomorrow. You know what to. I'll leave the how to you. If you need to talk, call us. If you want, I can tell this to Christine, and she would be able to help you too."

"Okay, you can tell her." Audrey said.

Glancing at her alarm clock, Audrey realized they'd been talking for almost 3 hours. "I need to let you go, I've taken enough of your time." she said apologetically.

"Oh it's been fun to catch up with you, Oddball. Just don't be a stranger! Or at least not any stranger than you already are! We'll talk later." Emily said brightly, and then hung up.

As Audrey hung up the phone, she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast this morning. She picked up the phone and ordered her a medium of her favorite pizza, Canadian bacon and fresh sliced tomatoes. She added a large Pepsi, and had them deliver it to the front desk. The pizza and Pepsi arrived in a half an hour. Audrey took them back to her room, where she wolfed down the pizza and guzzled the Pepsi. Feeling full, if not better, she turned in, formulating a plan of action for tomorrow as she fell asleep.

The next morning, Audrey went through her normal routine of running, showering, getting into her uniform and having a quick breakfast before heading to the squadron building. Colonel Washington had recently retired, and Danno had been promoted and elevated to Squadron Commander a few weeks ago. Audrey went to the CO's office, hoping to catch Danno before she got too busy.

Coming into the CO's outer office, she saw Master Sergeant Carmen "Ghia" Alvarez at the secretary's desk.

"Master Sergeant, is the Colonel busy right now?" Audrey asked with formal politeness.

"Let me check, Captain" Ghia answered, looking at the scheduling calendar. "Nope, she's free for a couple minutes. Can I tell her what this is about?"

"It's personal." Audrey said with some reluctance.

"Okay" Ghia said, as she got up and stuck her head inside the inner office door.

Ghia pulled her head back, turning to look at Audrey. "You can go in now, Captain."

Audrey went into the CO's office. Danno was seated behind the desk and gestured to one of the chairs.

"Have a seat, Boings. Tell me what's going on with you." she said in a calm, but brisk tone.

"Permission to speak freely, ma'am" Audrey said seriously, as she took a seat.

"Permission granted. What's on your mind, Boings?" Danno said seriously as her forehead wrinkled in concern.

"Ma'am, I've got a situation and I need your help." Audrey's tone became even more serious as she recounted the whole story of Misty's behavior and how it made Audrey feel.

Danno's expression became grimmer and sterner the more she heard from Audrey. She made a few notes and when Audrey finished, she spoke in a low tone.

"Thank you for informing me of this, Captain. I will deal with this matter personally. I'll check with Admin Ops. They were talking about opening some of the offices on the second floor. If one of them is ready, I'll have you move there ASAP. As for the rest, if she does anything else, let me know and I will handle it. If there isn't any thing else, you're dismissed." she spoke in a calm serious voice.

Audrey got up, came to attention, saluted and departed. She took a deep breath and let it out. One major thing done. She headed to the instructor's lounge. There should be some doughnuts today. A chocolate covered one with a cup of coffee sounded great.

As she sat down with her coffee and doughnut, she felt hands on her shoulders and a voice in her ear, purred "You know, I could have delivered coffee and doughnuts to you at your desk."

Audrey angrily shrugged off the hands on her shoulders and stood up. She turned to face Misty, her back stiff with outrage, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Don't bother. I don't want to have anything to do with you! Just keep your hands off me and leave me alone!" Audrey snapped.

"Wow, the girl has a bit of fire and spirit to her after all. I like that kind of spice!" Misty said languidly, with a slow smile.

"I mean it! I am not interested in you or any other woman, not now and not ever! So just leave me alone!" Audrey almost shouted.

Not waiting to hear Misty's retort, Audrey picked up her coffee and doughnut and stormed out of the instructor's lounge. She found an empty classroom and sat to eat her doughnut and drink her coffee, doing her best to calm the angry shaking of her hands. Regaining her composure, she finished her doughnut and coffee, and went to check with Admin Ops to see if there was an office available. But no one at Admin Ops had any information on newly available offices, so Audrey went back to her shared office, gathered up all of her paperwork and camped out in the instructor's lounge.

And so it went for the rest of the week. At first, Audrey was gratified by the other instructors coming by to see how she was and spend time shooting the breeze. By Friday, it started grating on her nerves, as she was spending more time talking than she was spending getting any work done. There were no flight ops scheduled due to an IG inspection of the Maintenance Squadron. As such, classes had been suspended, since the normal schedule would have been practice for the final practicum for this class cycle. For the most part, Misty seemed to be leaving her alone, so Audrey resumed her normal schedule of working out, eating, shopping and so on. Life seemed to resume its routine and Audrey was grateful for that.

However, everything went all to hell on Monday. Audrey got notification that Facilities had finished putting power and phone into a new office, as well as furniture. She swung by Admin Ops, picked up a key and signed for the office contents. She went down to Supply, picked up a couple of boxes, and went back to the shared office to pack up her desk and bookshelves. She found a cup of coffee, a bear claw and a box of chocolates on her desk. These she dumped in the trash and started packing quickly. The last thing she packed was the figurine Will had given to her for her birthday. She wrapped it carefully and put it in the top of the last box. Her heart lurched thinking about Will, and she resolved to call him and set a time where they could talk about their relationship.

Audrey's new office was small and cramped, but it had new furniture and been recently painted. She didn't have much stuff to move, so she got unpacked and set up fairly quickly. After returning the boxes to Supply, Audrey was on her way to her new office, when a hand reached out from one of the storerooms and dragged her in.

Misty used her height and leverage to pin Audrey against the wall and began kissing and groping her.

"You're mine and no one else's. You belong to me and only me. I'll show you the error of your ways and engulf you in pleasure you've never imagined before." Misty summered between kisses.

"Get off me and get your hands off me, RIGHT NOW!" Audrey yelled.

"We were meant to be together, two lovers bound together by magic and passion. We will have a love of the ages." Misty went on, as if she never heard Audrey.

Misty was the taller, but Audrey outweighed her by some 30 pounds, most of it muscle. Audrey got her hands up on Misty's shoulders and managed to push her away. She made a break for the door, and began walking rapidly down the corridor. Misty came out of the storeroom and lunged to grab Audrey's left hand.

As Misty jerked her left arm, Audrey spun, her right hand arcing up without thinking. There was a resounding CRACK! as Audrey's hand connected with Misty's face and Misty stumbled back against the wall, a print of Audrey's hand on her left cheek. Misty was about to lunge at Audrey again, when a voice thunderously shouted, "STAND DOWN! BOTH OF YOU! RIGHT NOW!

Both Audrey and Misty snapped and braced at attention. A blazing angry Colonel Greene came up to them with quick angry strides.

Danno looked at both of them, and in a quieter but no less angry and dangerous voice said "Gains, Ramirez, my office, NOW!"

All three of them turned and marched to the Squadron CO's office. Both Audrey and Misty snapped to attention in front of Danno's desk, as she came around and sat down. There was silence as Danno just looked at the two of them, doing her best to control her temper.

Picking up the phone, she said, "Master Sergeant, please connect me with General Jablonski's office. Hello, Captain Morris, is the General in? I need to speak to her, please. Yes, I'll hold."

Danno waited for a few moments and began speaking again.

"Morning ma'am. This is Colonel Greene of the 67th. We've had an incident. Yes it involves a couple of instructors. You said that you wanted to handle these incidents. Yes, ma'am, I'll have my report on your desk before lunch. Yes, ma'am I understand. Yes, ma'am" Danno answered respectfully and then hung up the phone. Turning to the two Witches, Danno glared at them.

"Ramirez, wait outside until I call for you. Gains, you stay" Danno growled.

When Misty left and closed the door, Danno glared at Audrey and snapped,

"All right, Gains, striking a fellow officer is a serious offense. What the hell happened? And spare me the bullshit!"

Audrey took a deep breath. _Would Danno believe me even if I told her the truth?_ She wondered. She'd just have to tell what really happened and hope Danno would believe her. She then started reciting the events that led up to when Danno saw her smack Misty.

For her part, Danno listened and took notes. When Audrey finished, Danno scribbled more notes and looked sternly at her.

"So, you believe this was a result of what we discussed last week?" Danno asked as she pulled a file folder out of a desk drawer.

Audrey nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. Danno opened the file folder, read some of it and looked up to Audrey.

"General Jablonski has taken direct jurisdiction over such incidents, so you both will be meeting with her later this afternoon. You're confined to your quarters until you're notified when you see the General. She'll listen to both your stories and decide what to do with both of you." Danno said, in a stern tone.

In a softer, less formal tone, Danno continued, "It was a good thing you came to me about this last week. Just tell the General the truth and she'll decide it fairly. I'll be sending my report with all those notes as well. Keep the faith, Boings! Dismissed."

Audrey almost ran out of Danno's office and darted back to her room. Not knowing what to do, she stripped down and took a long shower. She felt better when she came out, stretching out on her bed, wrapped only in a towel. After a while, she got up and pulled out her class A uniform. _If this is my last day in the Air Force, I might as well look as good as I can_ She thought. She checked it over carefully, making sure her name tag, insignia, and award ribbons were properly placed

She touched the Bronze Star with the combat V, awarded for her first mission in Vietnam. She touched the next ribbon, the Purple Heart, awarded for the injuries she suffered when she got shot down. Memories came flooding back and tears silently flowed down her cheeks as she remembered and mourned lost comrades. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose and took a deep breath. If this is the end of her Air Force career, so be it. She had tried to do the right thing, and if that wasn't enough, maybe it was time to move on.

The shrill ring of the phone cut the silence of Audrey's room. She grabbed the phone and said mechanically, "Gains here"

"Captain Gains, this is Captain Morris from the Commandant's office. You are to report here at 1300 hours today. Do not be late." the voice recited in a monotone.

"Acknowledged. Report to the Commandant's office 1300 hours" Audrey answered in a similar monotone.

Hanging up the phone, Audrey glanced at her chronometer, and realized she had little over an hour to report. She set about brushing out her hair and braiding it. She then coiled it tightly on the back of her head and pinned it firmly. She applied some moisturizer to her face and some Chap stick. She then decided to go with the full Class A uniform, including the knee length skirt, and not just the bikini shorts. That meant underwear, pantyhose and the regulation pumps. She settled herself into a bra, put on her uniform shirt and then the Class A jacket. She picked up her purse, put her keys and wallet in it, and then set her service cap on her head. Looking at herself in the mirror as a last minute check, her heart and gut clenched at the sharp looking officer staring back at her. Looking at her alarm clock, she saw she had 20 minutes to report. She left her room, got into her car and drove over to the school HQ.

Getting to the Commandant's office 10 minutes early, Audrey was acknowledged by Captain Morris, and told to wait for the General. Audrey sat, trying not to fidget, thinking of the irony of being in a position where her Air Force career may yet end again.

After a few minutes, Captain Morris looked up from her desk at the beep from the intercom. She turned to Audrey and said, "The General will see you now."

Audrey got up and stiffly made her way to the inner office door. She knocked sharply, and opened it at the sharp "Come n" from behind it. She marched her way in, stopping and snapping to attention in front of the General's desk.

"Captain Audrey Gains, reports, Ma'am" Audrey announced as she sharply saluted.

General Jablonski pushed herself up from her chair and carefully balanced herself on her solitary leg. She came to attention, returned Audrey's salute and settled herself back into her chair.

"At ease, Captain. Have a seat." the General said in a neutral tone.

Audrey sat, still at attention. It wouldn't do to look too relaxed and casual in the General's presence, especially about a serious matter.

"Captain Gains, I've already heard from Captain Ramirez. I want to hear your version of the events leading up to this morning." General Jablonski in a calm, stern, no-nonsense tone.

Audrey took a deep breath and started recounting everything about her interaction with Misty, starting with her introduction when she joined the 67th. General Jablonski listened carefully, taking notes in an open folder on her desk, as Audrey's voice became unsteady when she talked about how Misty assaulted her and how she started stalking and hunting her. She even told of the conversation with Emily on deciding a course of action to respond to Misty.

"So you informed Colonel Greene about this situation, when, last Tuesday morning, right? And you requested to move to a different office at that time, correct?" the General asked in probing tone, as Audrey simply nodded.

The General read through the contents of the open folder, pausing every now and then to read something closely. Audrey sat still, doing her best not to fidget or even twitch at the General;'s every movement. Time seemed to stretch interminably. After what seemed like a long time, the General seemed to sigh, took off her glasses and looked sharply at Audrey.

"Striking a fellow officer is a serious offense. But in this case, it appears you were assaulted first and were only attempting to defend yourself. I am disappointed that you let your personal affairs affect the squadron's morale and readiness. As it was, you went to inform your chain of command at the first opportunity you had, so that was a good thing."the General stated in her "command" voice.

"Relax, Captain Gains. Take a deep breath. You did all the right things, and I am glad you had someone like Emily advising you and that you reached out for her help. I don't believe any action needs to be taken concerning your role in all this." the General said in a much milder, and less formal tone.

"What about Captain Ramirez? What's going to happen to her? I know I have my difficulties with her, but she is an excellent pilot and a good instructor.. I wouldn't like to see her career ruined because of me." Audrey said.

"Captain Ramirez has her own issues to deal with. Fighter Weapons is her third assignment in the past 2 years. She had been transferred from RAF Lakenheath and from Myrtle Beach for similar incidents. This was going to be her last chance to straighten out and salvage her career. The deal was, if she got caught sexually assaulting another Air Force member, that she would be subjected to the full force of the UCMJ. In reviewing her past record and Colonel Greene's notes on the current incident, I offered her a choice. She could face a summary courts martial, charged with "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer of the US Air Force" and "Sexual Assault and Battery", probably found guilty, busted back to Airman Recruit and then be dishonorably discharged. Or she could resign her commission, leave the Air Force and still retain some of her benefits. She's currently consulting with JAG about her alternatives. I expect to hear back from her by tomorrow morning. If I don't hear from her by then, I will proceed with court martial proceedings and there is no stopping that process." General Jablonski stated in a coldly neutral tone.

The General smiled at Audrey, "You did good, Boings. You found yourself in a difficult position not of your own making. You reached out for help and advice when you knew you were out of your depth. You engaged your chain of command and tried to be proactive in dealing with the situation. The fact that the situation spiraled out of control is not your fault. I'm proud of how you dealt with it. I'm not sure many officers could have done as well. Take the rest of the day off and relax. Report for duty tomorrow morning as usual. You're dismissed" she said, with a warm pride in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am" Audrey said, the relief evident in her voice.

Audrey stood, came to attention and saluted. The General did the same.

As she turned to leave, the General said, "One thing, Boings"

"I hadn't thought of 'Big M' in years! If you see her or talk to her, tell her hi from me and ask her if she remembers who won the cranberry shooters battle" General Jablonski said, with a small smile.

At Audrey's quizzical look, General Jablonski smiled and said, "You'll have to ask her about it."

Audrey did her best to maintain her decorum and poise as she left the Commandant's office. She sped back to the BOQ, and once back in her room, quickly changed out of her class A's into a sports bra, t-shirt, bikini shorts, socks and track shoes. She felt such a surge of energy, that she had to do something physical. It was still way hot to go running, so she went to the gym and hit the weight training circuit, not once or twice but 4 times. She came back to her room, sweaty, exhausted, but with that pleasant ache that come from a good workout. She showered and changed again, enjoying her favorite Seafood night dinner at the O club. Coming back from the O club, she stripped down, crawled under the covers and was snoring in minutes.

The next morning, Audrey went through her daily routine of running, showering, getting dressed in the uniform of the day and having breakfast. After yesterday, this morning had an air of unreality, as Audrey's morning unfolded as it should. Things changed once she got to the squadron.

Audrey saw that the parking lot was so full, she had to park in the last row of spaces. Walking up to the main building, she saw that it was buzzing with activity. It seemed like every Witch associated with the 67th was there, even the ones that didn't teach or fly.

She heard bits and pieces of the conversational buzz. "Did you hear what happened to Misty Ramirez?" "She's gone! Her desk and locker are empty, even her BOQ room is clean!" "She's not even on the duty roster!" "I heard she got an emergency assignment in Thule Greenland!" "I heard she got transferred to the Navy and sent to McMurdo Sound!"

There was a loud sharp piercing whistle from the front of the building.

"All right, people! All hands meeting, Conference room D, right now! We'll kill the rumor machine!" Danno shouted.

With everyone crowded into the conference room, Danno strode to the podium at the front of the room.

"Ladies, I know the rumors have been flying thick and fast in the past few hours, so here's what we know. Captain Michelle Ramirez has left the 67th Squadron. We don't know where she went, and we don't know what she's doing. That's apparently none of our business. I'll be adjusting the duty roster and the teaching schedule for the upcoming class cycle. It's going to be tough to replace an instructor like Misty, but I am confident we are up to the challenge. That's it, all we know. So let's get back to work, ladies." Danno announced in a commanding tone.

Audrey slowly walked out of the conference room and up to her new office. She sat in her new chair and breathed a sigh of relief, The nightmare was over and her life was getting back on track. If only she could get back with Will.

Then her phone rang, the very first call to her new office. Audrey immediately grabbed the phone and automatically said, "Gains here"

"Audrey? Is that y'all?" that slow unhurried Southern drawl was unmistakable.

"Will, I was just thinking of you" Audrey breathed

"Well, Ah finished mah secret assignment, so Ah was wonderin' if y'all want ta git some dinner tonight. Ah finally got the clearance to talk to y'all about and Ah figgred we needed ta talk about a whole mess of other things" Will drawled.

"Sure, when and where?" Audrey asked

"How 'bout the O club at 1730?" Will answered

"Okay, I'll see you there in civilian dress, okay?" Audrey said, wanting to see Will not in uniform.

"Okay, see y'all ther then." Will drawled and then hung up.

Audrey carefully hung up the phone. Will sounded like he had returned to being normal. This whole summer had an air of unreality to it, from starting out normal, to being plunged into chaotic nightmarishness, back to seeming normalcy, as if the chaos had never happened. _We'll see if Will and I can get back to what we were before all this happened_ she thought hopefully.

"


	13. Chapter 13

**Late Summer 1973**

67th Fighter Weapons Squadron

USAF Fighter Weapons School

Nellis AFB, Nevada

Having gotten to the O club nearly 45 minutes early, Audrey waited nervously. Once again, she chose the white long sleeved blouse and the knee length green skirt. She went all out with the jewelry, putting on her diamond pendant necklace, her diamond earrings, and the diamond and gold fox brooch that she had gotten from her father, on the left side of her blouse. She styled her hair differently, plaiting it into a long braid on the left side of her head and tossing it over her left shoulder. Her makeup was done by the beautician at the Base Exchange, and she wondered it it was too dramatic. Finally she sprayed on her Shalimar and then wondered if it was too heavy. She wanted to bowl Will over, to be beautiful for him, but she was nervous, hoping she hadn't overdone it.

When she talked with Will this morning, he sounded so normal. But there had been so much that had gone on between them, that things couldn't be normal. They had to really talk, clear the air, and be honest about any kind of misunderstandings, and hopefully come back together as a couple. One way or another, things had to change, they couldn't stay the way they are now.

Audrey thought about getting a drink to calm her nerves, but then a vision of her and Misty in the hallway of the BOQ that night flashed through her mind. It quickly killed that idea. Audrey clutched her purse tighter and tried not to fidget, as butterflies in her stomach started fluttering. She remembered the last date she and Will had, and her cheeks burned red. She had yelled and lectured Will for something like an hour, as she overrode anything he had to say, drenching him in a storm of anger, scorn and sharply pointed sarcasm. She planned to apologize for that, and hope that he would forgive her for being so mean, and forget it ever happened.

At precisely 1725. Will strode into the O Club lounge. Even though he was wearing civilian clothing, his bearing was strictly military. His face was an unreadable mask. Just looking at how formidable he appeared, Audrey's nervousness increased. The butterflies in her stomach turned into CH-47 Chinook helos.

"Will!" Audrey called out in a bright cheery tone, pasting on what she hoped was her brightest smile.

"Good evening, Audrey" Wii said, in a quiet, steady voice that betrayed nothing about his thoughts.

Those helos churning Audrey's stomach started doing aerobatics now. She hid a grimace with another bright and what she hoped was an inviting smile. She saw he had a corsage in a plastic box, and her heart lurched a little. _Maybe things would be okay_. She thought. She stepped closer to Will, to let him pin it on the right side of her blouse. To her shock and disappointment, Will took the corsage out of the box and carefully strapped it to her right wrist. Gesturing to the dining room, he let Audrey lead the way.

The waitress came to greet them, and before she could say anything, Will stepped in.

"We all would like a quiet table for two tonight." he said in that neutral steady voice.

"This way please" said the waitress, as she led them to the far corner of the dining room.

Both Will and Audrey sat, as the waitress set out service for two, two glasses of water, and handed each of them a menu.

"Tonight is Steak Night. We have specials on the Porterhouse and Rib-eye, as well as Prime Rib. If you want to look over the menu, I'll be back to take your order in a couple of minutes" she announced and departed at Will's nod.

Will flipped open his menu and started studying it intently. Audrey put hers aside, already knowing what she wanted. The silence was driving her crazy. She reached out and touched Will's hand, but he moved his hand away and continued studying his menu. Finally she had enough of this.

"Will, we need talk" she said, an edge of impatience in her voice.

Will carefully closed his menu and set it down just as carefully. He took a drink of water and then fixed Audrey with a carefully neutral expression that was not quite a glare.

"Are we all really gonna to talk or are y'all gonna to talk and Ah have to listen?" he asked, in a flat expressionless voice.

 _Ouch!_ Audrey visibly winced. _He definitely hasn't forgotten. Will he forgive me if I apologize?_ She wondered.

"I want to apologize for that. I said a lot of hurtful things, and I'm sorry. Yes, WE will talk. You have as much right to be heard as I do." Audrey said in a sad tone, lowering her head.

"Okay, Ah'll believe you this time." Will said, even as he slowly arched a skeptical eyebrow.

At that moment, the waitress reappeared with her order pad in hand.

"So, have you decided what you'd like to order?" she asked in bright cheery voice.

At Will's nod, Audrey spoke up.

"I'll have the large rib eye, medium rare, with sauteed mushrooms, garlic mashed and green beans. I'd also like the shrimp cocktail. I'd like coffee to drink."

Will said, "I'd like the medium Porterhouse, medium rare, with the fried onion strings, baked potato with everything but chives, and corn. I'd like the house salad with Italian dressing, no cucumbers and I'd also like coffee."

The waitress hurried away, and both Will and Audrey turned to look at each other.

"I'll start. What was your "secret" mission? You said you were finally cleared to talk about it. Did it have anything to do with your trip to the Pentagon? What happened there? And why were you so consumed with it for weeks? Why did your attitude change so much?" Audrey asked, shooting questions in a rapid fire manner, like an attorney questioning a witness.

"It's kinda complicated. Ah wasn't the only one called to the Pentagon. General Jackson called in all the Ravens, the Mistys, the Stormys, the Wolves, the Night Owls, the Candlesticks, the Blind Bats, the Whiplashes, and the Laredos. In fact, anyone who flew FAC missions in Nam, that were still in the Air Force, was there." Will replied in a neutral 'giving an after action report' tone.

"There were over 400 of us gathered in one of the Pentagon's assembly halls. General Jackson came out, and thanked us for doing a good job in Nam. Then he tells us to forget everything we learned over there. He said that the next war against the Neuroi will be totally different, that we won't have the same luxury of ruling the skies like we did or the time to adjust in a low intensity environment. It's going to be high intensity and fast paced in ways we haven't seen before. To meet that threat, we are going to have to use our intelligence, our organization, our ingenuity, and our strength of mind and will. We are going to have to change the way we fight." Will continued.

"That's when he unveiled a new doctrine he called AirLand Battle 2000. What it means, is that we develop new ways of detecting, identifying and tracking Neuroi, integrate command and control at lower levels, not to micromanage, but to coordinate responses to the tactical situation to further operational objectives and much closer cooperation between air and land forces." Will stated.

"On the tactical level, he's talking about new aircraft and Strikers, armed with new weapons, that he called PGW, or precision guided weapons. The idea being, as he called it, 'one shot, one kill". He also mentioned new organizational elements to fully integrate land and air assets into a 'strike package', with the flexibility to adapt to almost any tactical situation." Will answered, as if he was delivering an oral after action report. Will wound it up, as he took a drink of water.

"Okay, that sounds like a whole lot, but it doesn't sound like something that's going to be kept secret." Audrey pointed out.

"Well, after that meeting, 5 of us get called up to General Martin's office" Will explained.

Audrey was surprised. General David "Buster" Martin was the Air Force Chief of Staff, and was serving as Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In other words, he was the highest ranking officer in Liberion's Air Force, and the second-highest ranking officer in all of Liberion's military. What did he want with Will and four other officers?

"General Martin said that the Air Force had historically forgotten the lessons of the last war, and had to relearn the lessons of CAS over again with each new war. He wanted us to form teams of fellow officers who flew CAS and FAC missions in Nam. He wanted all of us to perform a summary of all the after action reports from all the CAS missions, broken down by years.. Naturally, I drew the busiest of years, 1967-1968. He said he was well aware of General Jackson's perspective, and that we had to keep this on a need to know basis, to avoid any appearance of undermining General Jackson's command authority." Will said, with an acid edge to his voice.

"So, I got "Easy" Erickson, "Thumper" Thomas, and "Grumpy" Henderson as part of my team. Colonels Raymond and Washington were informed that we were working on a 'special project' for General Martin, and we were exempted from the instructional cycle. They shipped us copies of all the after-action reports for 1967-68, and we went to work, reading, summarizing and writing. And that's what we've been doing for the past few months. We sent off our summary last week, and received clearance to talk about it a couple of days ago." Will stated.

"But why did your attitude change so abruptly while working on this? For the longest time, you seemed angry, frustrated and cynical. What happened?" Audrey asked, genuine concern in her voice.

Will hesitated and looked down at the table for a couple of moments before he looked up at Audrey.

"Going through the after action reports, some things that stood out to us. Number one the total lack of organization and overall coherent strategy in CAS operations. It was like each and every mission was a result of an ad-hoc response to a situation. The second was the sheer amount of waste, of time, aircraft and Strikers, pilots and Witches, and ordnance. It was like the only reaction was to throw more resources and ordnance at the Neuroi, as if that would solve the problem. It frustrated and angered us that no one in the senior leadership would take control, set out the strategy, the doctrine and the procedures to do the job with what was on hand and rein in all these knee-jerk reactions to the tactical situation. Ah'm certain you saw it too." Will stated passionately.

Audrey sat back, stunned. There were times during her last tour, that she wondered what the overall strategy was behind what she had been tasked with. She carried out her missions to the best of her ability, trusting higher command knew what they were doing. To find there was no overall strategy or organization to speak of, confirmed some of her worst fears. However, the announcement from General Jackson, as TAC Chief, made it seem like he was aware of the problem, and was taking steps to fix it.

"My turn. There's no doubt that y'all are sweet and charming. It kinda sticks out all over y'all. And Ah have no problem bein' charmed by y'all. But when y'all try to charm me into doin' something for y'all, or charmin' me into given y'all somthin', it kinda makes me uncomfortable." Will said quietly with a smile, as his drawl got thicker.

Audrey blushed. _Caught in the act!_ She thought. It had been normal for her to turn on the charm to get what she wanted or needed, ever since she was a child. It worked flawlessly with her father and a number of men she had worked with. It wasn't as effective on other women, but most appreciated being charmed, even if they didn't always give her what she wanted. _I keep on forgetting how intelligent, observant and perceptive he is!_ She thought ruefully.

"So what you propose as a solution? It seems like you've been thinking about this for a while" Audrey retorted rather sharply.

"Well, how about this? Y'all tell me what y'all want, and then state y'all's case for it as logically and objectively as y'all can? Then, Ah can tell y'all 'yes' or 'no', and tell y'all why. How's that sound?" Will asked, looking Audrey steadily in the eye.

Audrey considered it. Setting aside using her charm to get others to give her stuff or do things for her, seemed like voluntarily disarming herself. On the other hand, doing so, with just Will, would garner a lot of good feelings from him. This has apparently been on his mind for a while, and he would be watching her carefully, to see if she tried it again. Besides, doing it his way, appealed to her logical and objective side. She'd give his way a sincere try. She smiled to herself, thinking _he didn't say I couldn't use my charm for other purposes!_

"All right, we'll do itlike that. I'll do my best to be more direct about what I want and need, and more logical about why. Deal?" Audrey said, with a brightness she really didn't feel.

Will's expressionless face broke into a warm smile and Audrey's heart flipped over.

"Deal!" he said, with a warmth that wasn't there before. Audrey quietly sighed in relief. Maybe they were on their way back to being a couple.

The waitress arrived with their dinners, and both of them dug in, hungrily. It wasn't the best dinner in Las Vegas, but it was close and the price couldn't be beat. Both of their appetizers arrived at the same time, so there was more than enough food to plow through. For a time, there was quiet, as both Audrey and Will enjoyed their dinners.

Sipping their coffee, Audrey restarted their discussion.

"My turn, Will. There have been times where you have clammed up, and been as talkative and as easy to read as a blank stone wall. It frustrates me to no end, because I never know what you're thinking or feeling. You asked me to be direct with you, and I've agreed. I would like to ask the same of you, that you be as direct with me on what you're thinking and feeling." Audrey stated, with a firm confidence.

Will didn't say anything for a few moments. He seemed to concentrate on his steak and baked potato with a single minded focus. Head down, he chewed slowly, looking like he was having an intense internal debate. After a few minutes, he swallowed, and looked Audrey in the eye, with a conflicted expression.

"Audrey, this here's all complicated and Ah need time to explain it properly, so if y'all can hold any comments or questions until Ah'm finished, Ah'd appreciate it." Will intoned in a quiet serious voice.

Audrey nodded, with a puzzled expression. What could be so complicated about telling someone what you're thinking and feeling? It seems like it should be so natural and straightforward for everyone, as it was for her.

Will took a long drink of his coffee, and settled back. His gaze turned distant, as if he was seeing a memory from long ago. His expression became a mixture of nostalgia, pain, sadness, anger and bitterness. It frightened Audrey, because she never had seen this side of Will before.

"When Ah was younger, Ah learned first hand, that there were bad people in this world. People who took joy inflicting pain and misery on all those around them, just because they could. They would use their strength, will and whatever power they had to forcefully bend others to their will. They'd all use anything at hand to inflict physical pain, belts, straps or even just their hands. But their weapon of choice was words. Why? Because y'all can inflict serious pain on someone with words, and there wouldn't be any visible scars or bruises. And y'all could keep on doin' it for as often and as many times as y'all like. Words delivered in the right way can cut deeper than any blade, inflicting wounds deeper than a sword. And since y'all are bleeding on the inside, no one can tell how badly y'all are hurting. So y'all carry your pain inside, and only time can heal it. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes years,

And there are those wounds that are so deep and painful, it seems like they'll never heal." Will kept on talking, as if Audrey wasn't there.

"Of course, they'll try passing those words off as a joke. Somethin' that's supposed to be funny. Even worse, they'll tell you it's for y'all's own good, to 'toughen y'all up'. Y'all learn to guard y'alls words and expressions, not giving them a reason to react and take delight in beating you down and acknowledging that they all hold this power over y'all." Will continued quietly.

"If y'all ask me what Ah'm thinking or feeling, Ah might not answer right away. It's gonna take me some time to process or sort out what Ah'm actually feeling or thinking. Also, it's probably going to take some time to get over guarding mah thoughts and feelings, and let someone know that. Finally, it may take some more time for me to say it in a way that isn't hurtful or insensitive. Ah've been on the receiving end of too many hurtful things said, and Ah never want to hurt anyone like that, if Ah can help it." Will said, looking steadily at Audrey.

Audrey sat there, stunned by what she heard. One part of her was thrilled to have Will open up to her. For so long, he seemed to be the living embodiment of the fighter pilot ethos; bottomless self confidence, dynamic smart aggressive action, unyielding determination, and unflinching courage. She was pleased to see that there was much more to him than just that. Her heart went out to the young boy who endured such unrelenting pain and abuse, marveling how he kept his identity and sense of self from being crushed by it all, and seeing him grow into the intelligent, strong, perceptive, steadfast man before her.

Then Audrey's eyes widened in horror, and she turned away, hiding her face in her hands. _What have I done to him? I've heaped the same kind of abuse on him that he's fought through all his life! Will he be able to forgive me?_ She thought. She started sobbing, feeling so small and mean, not able to look Will in the eye.

"Audrey, look at me" Will stated quietly in a stern commanding tone. He paused for a second, and in a gentler, softer voice, he said, "Audrey, I need you to look at me, please".

Audrey dropped her hands from her face, and turned to face Will, looking him in the eye. She didn't want to, not after all the things she had said to him. But there was something in his voice that compelled her to obey. She wiped away her tears, and looked at him, trembling, waiting fearfully for his reaction, steeling herself to endure whatever anger and outrage that he would heap on her.

Will gazed at her steadily for a moment. Then he broke into a warm gentle smile. He reached out and gently touched her hand.

"Audrey, Intent means a lot to me. Y'all didn't say what y'all said out of meanness or spite. Y'all were concerned, and frustrated that there didn't seem to be anything y'all could do to make it better. Tell y'all what, if Ah need help, y'all be the first one Ah ask. If Ah don't, can y'all trust me to know what Ah'm doing and that Ah'll handle it the best way Ah know how?" Will asked quietly.

Audrey sat silently for a moment. She nodded, the sense of relief washing over her, made her feel light headed.

"You're forgiving me?" she asked, tentatively.

"Well, y'all could call it forgiveness. Let's just say that it's in the past, let's leave it there and move forward." Will drawled, with a slow smile.

"Agreed!" Audrey declared with a great deal of feeling, flashing her brightest smile. M _aybe things can get back to the way they were before,_ she thought.

"Hold on, Audrey. Ah've got one more thing to bring up" Will drawled, holding up a hand, with a smile.

"Ah know how y'all like to weigh every decision, debatin' the pros and cons. Ah also know y'all like to think out loud, Ah've got no problem with that. Ah also appreciate y'all wanting' my opinion, and Ah've got no problem givin' it. Here's the favor Ah'd like to ask from y'all. Can y'all keep the debate to under an hour? Ah kinda lose concentration beyond that. It also seems counterproductive goin' back over the same points again and again. It kinda makes y'all look indecisive and wishy-washy" Will said, keeping that smile of his.

"'Sides, there's gonna be times where y'all can't have all the facts, or time to consider everything. Y'all are gonna have to make the best decision y'all can on the spot. That's one of the things a commander has to do." He continued.

At Audrey's shocked expression, Will smiled and said "Y'all heard me right, Ah think y'all be a commander, probably sooner than y'all think."

Audrey sat there, thinking. She was a Strike Witch, not a paper pusher. But if she was going to stay in the Air Force, there wasn't any of avoiding it. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She'd be the one to lead and guide the newly commissioned girls and mold them into effective Strike Witches. It would be almost like being an instructor, but with more authority to run things the way she wanted. And she could still fly, if she chose to.

Audrey shook her head. _Got to concentrate on the here and now._ She thought.

"All right, I'll do my best to keep my decision making more concise. But, if new facts come up, any decision should be reopened for debate and consideration." Audrey stated firmly.

"Fair enough, but are y'all sure y'all didn't miss y'alls calling in being a lawyer or JAG officer?" Will said, teasingly with a smile.

Audrey blushed. The debating and arguing came naturally to her. It was her way of coming to a fair and equitable decision. How could you do that if you couldn't argue the merits of each factor that went into the decision? And the last thing she wanted to be, was unfair.

"One last thing, some of my fellow instructors think you're something I dreamed up. I was wondering if we could have a small dinner, and I can introduce you as my boyfriend and kill off those rumors" Audrey asked

"Sure, shouldn't be a problem for a few, say five of them?" Will replied, with a slow smile.

"Great! I'll arrange everything. Just show up and be your charming self!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Is there anything else y'all want to discuss?" Will asked.

"Now can we have some dessert?" Audrey whined and pouted.

"Sure we can!" Will replied enthusiastically.

They shared a hot fudge sundae, as they made plans to start working out together again, running in the morning and weight training in the afternoon.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur. Audrey was surprised how much she missed working out with Will, who was impressed how now she could do 20 reps of bench press with 10 pounds over her body weight. She was surprised how out of shape Will was, being only able to run 5 miles and weight train for only a half hour. He vowed to get back into shape as quickly as he could. In spite of that, normalcy seemed to return to Audrey's life.

The dinner, which Audrey footed the bill at the O club, was a resounding success. Audrey had invited JJ, Squeaky, Gunner, AC, a new instructor, and Danno. There were gasps of astonishment when Will came up to the table. Apparently no one figured he would be Audrey's boyfriend.

JJ pressed for details on how they met. Will and Audrey told the story of how they first met as Strike Witch and FAC, and how they seemed to be paired together on a number of CAS missions over northern and central Laos.

Everyone, including Danno, pressed Will further about his two tours as a Raven FAC, and Will obliged them by regaling them with a number of stories filled with humor, courage, heroism and tragedy. At the end of his last story, Will stood up, raised his glass and asked them all to join him in a toast "to fallen comrades and the courageous ones who never left Vietnam". Everyone raised their glasses, echoing his toast and downing their drinks.

To lighten the mood, JJ started asking about the wedding and honeymoon, causing Audrey to blush. She'd been thinking along the same lines, but never voiced it to Will, not wanting to hurry or pressure him into a decision. Will laughed, and said that such talk was way early, and he just wanted time to be with Audrey and enjoy special moments to come.

Everyone got more than a little drunk, except Will and Danno, and the night got louder and rowdier. Everyone but Danno, started flirting outrageously with Will, especially JJ.

Audrey grabbed Will, draping herself all over him, as she gave him a big passionate kiss. She turned to JJ and proclaimed.

"Eat your heart out, JJ! This one's MINE! Go find your own!" and then she burst out in giggles.

The dinner broke up soon after that, with Will driving Audrey back to the BOQ, and Danno making sure everyone else got home safely.

During the week, Audrey was in her office, going over new material in preparation for the new class cycle that was coming up. Master Sergeant Alvarez stuck her head in and announced,

"Captain, Colonel says she wants to see you in her office now."

Wondering why she sent the Master Sergeant to fetch her personally, instead of calling, Audrey arrived at Danno's office, to find the inner door open. Danno looked up from her paperwork, and motioned Audrey in.

"Come on in, Boings, close the door and have a seat" Danno said in her typical brisk tone.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" Audrey asked, still puzzled on what was going

Danno smiled warmly at Audrey, and some of the tension in her gut relaxed.

"First of all, I want to congratulate you and Will. I think you'll make a splendid couple. Second, we've got an assignment from the Commandant's office. In fact, all of Fighter Weapons is in on this, both conventional and Strike Witches. We've been tasked to take part in an instructional video for members of Congress to explain our mission and show off our skill and expertise. As I said, all of Fighter Weapons is involved. We are going to show what a Strike Witch can do. I've selected you to be the Witch, mainly because you have the most recent combat experience. Major Thomas will brief you on the details, but you'll fly a simulated CAS mission, at the direction of a ground FAC. It will be tape recorded, and made part of the whole video to be played for new members of the Senate and House Armed Service Committee, to give them an understanding of who we are, what we are teaching, and how it enhances readiness. Depending on the production and its reception, there is talk of the Chief of Staff ordering it made public through the PIO."

"Wow, thanks, ma'am. I'm not sure I'm worthy of such an honor" Audrey managed to get out, while being totally shocked by this new mission.

"It also helped that the Commandant 'suggested' you would be the ideal Witch for this mission.  
Think about it, Boings. You're gonna be a TV star!" Danno laughed.

"When is this supposed to take place, ma'am?" Audrey asked.

"They're talking about sooner, rather than later, so it could happen tomorrow or Friday. You'd better get with Thumper and get everything squared away." Danno replied.

"Is there anything else, ma'am?" Audrey asked, as she stood.

"Nothing else from my end. You're dismissed." Danno answered briskly.

Getting to the Squadron Ops office, she found Major Jennifer "Thumper" Thomas in her inner office, going through a stack of papers. The Major looked up at Audrey and motioned her into her office.

"Glad to see you here, Boings! We're trying to get this pulled together for tomorrow morning. Sorry about the rush, but the 'powers that be' have had this in the works for a few months and just want it done and finished, ASAP" Thumper said.

"Can you give me any mission details? The Colonel was kinda vague and said you'd fill in the blanks." Audrey replied, trying not to let her anxiety show in her voice. It all seemed like a thrown together improvisation to her, and very few of those had ever gone well.

Thumper handed Audrey the sheaf of papers he had been working on, which Audrey started reading with interest.

"This should help. You'll be flying Striker 451, which should be ready to go tomorrow. You'll be carrying a max load of Mk77s and Mk 84 Snakes. We'll be conducting operations on Range 74. Should give us enough room to maneuver and show off some stuff. You'll be at the direction of a ground FAC, and there'll be 3 targets, one for the Snakes, one for the Mk77s, and one for strafing. After you're done, just RTB, debrief and you'll be done. We're looking to be wheels-up no later than 0830, so takeoffs won't be so challenging. We'll have final briefing at 0745 tomorrow. Any questions?" Thumper announced.

Audrey shook her head. "No, I think that covers it for now. Any other questions I have will probably be answered during the final briefing." she answered.

"Dismissed, Boings. See you tomorrow morning!" Thumper said, as she waved Audrey out of her office.

As Audrey left the Ops office, her mind started going over the mission and what she needed to do. There seemed a lot left unsaid, and she hoped the pre-mission briefing would at least address those issues. She was still preoccupied with the upcoming mission, so she didn't notice how Will was smiling in a knowing manner, and not asking what was bothering her while they went through the weight training circuit. She didn't work out as hard as she normally did, just enough to keep limber and flexible. She was so focused on tomorrow, she barely acknowledged the kiss Will brushed her cheek with. She ate a light dinner and went to bed early.

Like most Strike Witches, Audrey followed a well-defined routine before any mission. She was awake 2 ½ hours before the final pre-mission meeting started. She took a quick shower and then got dressed. First she put on a pair of regulation OD green bikini shorts. Next came the sports bra. She pulled on a long sleeved padded Nomex undershirt. She checked her OD green fatigue shirt, making sure the name and service tags looked okay, that her subdued cloth rank insignia were on the lapels, her Strike Witch Wings were placed properly, and that the proper squadron insignia patches were on the shoulders of the sleeves. The 67th squadron patch was on her left sleeve, signifying her current assignment. The 112th squadron patch was on her right sleeve, signifying her last combat assignment. Finally, there was the Fighter Weapons Instructor patch on the left chest pocket. She pulled on her flight jacket, after making sure all its insignia and patches were properly place as well. Satisfied that it was all in order, she put it on.

Audrey then turned to the mirror, and set to gathering her hair into a tight bun on the back of her head. After pinning it tightly and making sure it was secure, she put on her chronometer and dog tags. Next, she reached for a tube of moisturizing sunscreen and put some on her face, neck, throat and legs. She then put a coat of Chapstik on her lips. She slipped into a pair of light sandals, threw her keys and wallet into her flight bag, grabbed it and headed out.

Audrey had her usual pre-mission breakfast of scrambled eggs, wheat toast, hash browns, coffee and orange juice. Checking her chronometer, she saw she had an hour and 45 minutes before the briefing. Time to go and do her pre-flight walk around and confer with the senior armaments NCO about the mission load out.

Audrey walked into the squadron hanger, remembering 451's cradle was at the far left hand corner of the hanger. Walking up to 451's cradle, she saw floodlights illuminating it, with a figure in maintenance overalls bent over the Striker

"Hello?" Audrey called out to the figure.

The figure straightened to attention, and a deep, rumbling bass voice answered, "Ma'am!"

"Oh, it's you, Chief Master Sergeant. Carry on." Audrey said, relieved.

Chief Master Sergeant John Dalton was the senior crew chief of the 67th. Nominally, he was the crew chief of Danno's Striker, but he was moved around to different duties, because of his knowledge, skill, experience and expertise. He was one of the first Striker maintenance and repair technicians during the early part of the Second Neuroi War, and had soon earned a reputation of for repairing seemingly written off wrecks. On more than one occasion, he managed to produce mission capable Strikers from a stripped chassis and pile of discarded parts. Nellis was his last posting before retirement, and getting him assigned to the 67th was one of Colonel Washington's coups.

The Chief Master Sergeant carefully replaced an access panel on the Striker. He picked up 4 bolts off the tool cart beside him, and used them to secure the access panel. He picked up a torque wrench, and tightened the bolts to the prescribed torque. Putting down the torque wrench, he picked up a notebook, pulled a black pen out of his pocket, and began writing on several of the pages.

"What's up, Chief Master Sergeant?" Audrey asked.

"Just finishing up 451's 500 hour check, ma'am" the Chief Master Sergeant rumbled, as he signed and dated the last page, handing the notebook to Audrey.

Audrey was surprised. A 500 hour maintenance check normally took up to a month, because it involved stripping the Striker of major component assemblies, visually inspecting them, testing them individually, reinstalling them, and then testing them again as a system. It was the closest thing to rebuilding a Striker in the field the Air Force could manage. Audrey began to feel a little better about the upcoming mission, if they were taking this kind of care and it appeared that the planning for it had been in the works for awhile.

Audrey took the notebook, opened it and began reading, slowly turning the pages. She stopped at one page.

"You replaced the magic flow regulators, Chief Master Sergeant? I thought they only needed replacement every 350 hours." Audrey asked.

"They looked a little worn, and had trouble holding a nominal adjustment. Figured it'd be easier to replace them now, since we were in there anyway, ma'am" the Chief Master Sergeant explained, with a shrug.

"So, how's she look, Chief Master Sergeant?" Audrey asked, as she handed the notebook back to him.

The Chief Master Sergeant's dark face split into a big smile, his teeth a brilliant white against his complexion.

"She's ready to dance, Ma'am" He said with a laugh.

Audrey breathed a silent sigh of relief. If Chief Master Sergeant Dalton said a Striker was "ready to dance", it meant it was as right as he could make it and that any problems it might have, wouldn't be because of any thing he could touch.

"Thank you, Chief Master Sergeant. I appreciate all your hard work. Can you give me a few minutes with 451?" Audrey asked.

"Sure thing, Ma'am. Have a good flight." he replied, as he put all of his tools and instruments on the cart and wheeled it towards the tool crib.

Like most Witches, Audrey talked to her Striker before a mission while doing her pre-flight walk around. She always made time to spend a few minutes talking, often about the mission, sometimes about just about things that were on her mind. She knew a few Witches who didn't, which seemed kind of disrespectful to her. It took both of then working in unison to accomplish a mission and make it back safely, and she felt she owed it the Striker to at least talk to her about it, silly as it seemed.

"Hey there, how you doing? Chief Master Sergeant Dalton said you're ready to dance. I see you just got repainted as well. The new desert camo looks good on you. Yeah, they say you're gonna be carrying a capacity load out, so let's not do anything too crazy before we release it, okay? They say we'll be on TV for select members of Congress, and maybe for the public. Ready to put on a good show? Let's go out there and show them what a Strike Witch and Striker can do!" Audrey said quietly, as she lightly ran her hand over the Striker.

A discreet cough caught Audrey's attention, and she turned to see Senior Master Sergeant Milt Freeman, the senior NCO of the maintenance squadron's armaments section, waiting for her. The Senior Master Sergeant got his start loading bombs, rockets, napalm and bullets at the beginning of the Kita Conflict, in the snow, ice and subfreezing temperatures during the desperate attempts to slow the Neuroi during the battle of Chosin. Like Chief Master Sergeant Dalton, Nellis was to be his last posting before retirement. Most of the other Strike Witches found him to be like an accountant; meticulous, precise and more than a little fussy. But considering that he dealt with so many things that could level the whole hanger area on a daily basis, this was regarded as a perk.

"Ma'am, I got the warning order, and I wanted to discuss the load out with you. We've refitted the Mk 84s with the high drag fins and tested them out. They'll have to go on the ventral hard points because they're too bulky and heavy otherwise. I remember you saying that you didn't like anything loaded on the inboard lateral hard points, right ma'am?" the Senior Master Sergeant said, in a dry factual tone.

Audrey nodded. Any ordnance on the inboard lateral hard points meant she had to fly with her legs spread apart, until she released it. That was just too tiring and painful for her.

"Okay, ma'am. I was going to suggest the Mk77s go on the outboard lateral hard points anyway. Oh, and for your M60, your whole ammo load will be tracer. There'll be a green one every 50 rounds, so it's going to look pretty for the cameras. Also I want to warn you, that even though it's got the heavy barrel, you'll need to limit your bursts to keep the barrel from overheating. It's air cooled, so it may take a few minutes for it to cool enough between bursts not to burn you. That should do it. Is there anything else I can help with, ma'am?" the Senior Master Sergeant intoned, as he made notes on the clipboard he held.

Audrey shook her head. "That seems to cover it, Senior Master Sergeant. Thank you for all your hard work." she said.

"Then I'll get my guys to load up 451. She should be ready to go by the time you come out of your briefing, ma'am." the Senior Master Sergeant said, as he turned and went towards the base ordnance facility.

Audrey went to her locker to finish getting ready. She liked to do that before the briefing. Opening the locker, the first thing she pulled out was her SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) pack. She checked the survival supplies, making sure they were all present, accounted for and currently dated. Then she checked the pair of walking shoes and the two pairs of socks. As she did, the scar on the arch of her left foot throbbed briefly, reminding her of why she needed them. She fastened the pack around her waist. Audrey then pulled out her voice activated throat mike, checked the battery charge and then fastened it around her neck. She put her radio earpiece in her left ear and connected it to the throat mike. She took out her shoulder holster, put over her left arm and fastened the buckles around her chest. She took down her helmet, closed and locked her locker and headed to the squadron armory.

At the armory, Audrey drew her. .45 Automatic pistol and three clips. The clips got stowed in the pouches on the shoulder holster, and the pistol was put in the holster and secured by a strap. Audrey didn't like keeping a loaded pistol in her holster. She figured there'd be time to load it, if she got shot down or forced to eject.

She remembered the Marines who had rescued her in Vietnam, laughing at her .38 snub nosed revolver. The senior sergeant explained that all a .38 Special would do, would be to annoy a Neuori by waking it up. He suggested a .45 Automatic had enough firepower to knock down a two legged walker unit and, if she was lucky, crack open its armor and possibly destroy its core. The first time she fired one, it almost jumped out of her hand as it tried to tear her arm off. The range master showed and taught her the two handed firing stance, which gave her the needed strength and control. She practiced weekly for a year, finally mastering the two handed firing stance well enough to put her shots in a three inch group at 25 yards.

Arriving at the squadron ready room 15 minutes early, Audrey got another cup of coffee, sat down and started sipping it, while waiting for the briefing to begin. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and called to her familiar, as her fox ears and tail emerged.

 _Kitana, are you there?_ Audrey called mentally.

 _Of course I am, you silly girl. As if I would leave you! And how are you this fine morning! Ah, you said we had a mission briefing soon. Well if we have to fly today, at least it isn't raining! And how many times have I told you to call me Kit or Kitty!_ Her familiar's voice voice answered.

When Audrey first met Kitana, she was coming into her magic at a young age. She was frightened and confused by the powerful, erratic surges of magic swirling around her. Her father was helpless and frustrated that he couldn't do anything in helping Audrey deal with forces he didn't understand. Her mother had consulted with doctors and other witches, who all had differing opinions on what to do. But the consensus was clear; Audrey needed to find a familiar, preferably a powerful one, who could guide her and teach her the ways of magic. And that's when Audrey and Kitana met on that hot muggy summer day, deep in the Olympic National Forest.

When Audrey first met Kitana, she was in awe of her. She seemed to be so powerful, strong, wise, intelligent, insightful and perceptive. Her voice was warm and gentle, reminding Audrey of her grandmother Karen. It took some time for Audrey to get used to living with another consciousness in her mind, but with Kitana's gentle guidance and help from her Aunt Emily and her mother, it turned out to be kind of fun. Kitana was also a great help to Audrey navigating through the storms of adolescence, and the ensuing physical, mental, emotional and magical turbulence.

It wasn't until Advanced Flight School that Audrey discovered other aspects of Kitana's personality. She was still powerful, strong, intelligent, wise, perceptive and insightful, But Audrey discovered her mischievous, teasing sense of humor for one. It shocked her when Kitana repeated one of Matt's dirty jokes that she had forgotten. Then Kitana told her three others, each one raunchier than the last. She remembered Kitana laughing for almost 5 minutes at Audrey's surprise, shock and befuddlement.

 _Us familiars aren't just old stick-in-the muds, dear!_ Kitana managed to gasp out amid he giggles.

Other aspects of Kitana emerged as well. One was her tendency to prattle on absentmindedly, especially on long missions. Audrey often had to bring her attention back to focus on matters at hand. Another aspect was how she (and Audrey, if she was honest) were easily distracted by bright shiny things, like jewelry.

 _That dinner a few night ago looked like fun. I know JJ was flirting outrageously with Will, but there was nothing behind it. Will seems like such a nice young man. Be alert, though, he's a whole lot sharper than even you suspect. It'll be good for you Keep you on your toes and from being bored. OOOHHH, is he going to give you a big shiny diamond engagement ring soon? I bet he's going to pick something spectacular!_ Kitana prattled on.

 _HUSH! The briefing's going to begin, and I need you to pay attention!_ Audrey scolded.

Thumper walked in, followed by three other witches. Two took seats with Audrey, while the other stood with Thumper

"Good morning, Boings! I want to introduce Lt. Col. Caruthers, Captain Willis, and Lieutenant Barnes. They'll be handling the recording of the mission. Captain Willis and Lieutenant Barnes will be flying with you, and recording your mission. You'll also have a video camera mounted on your helmet to record a Witch's view perspective. Lt. Colonel Caruthers will be the director. She won't have any input to the mission, but she will be moving Captain Willis and Lieutenant Barnes around to get different perspectives. She will work with the ground controller to prevent any mission interference." Thumper announced.

"Mission is as follows." Thumper announced briskly, as a map of Range 74 lit up the projector screen.

The other two witches connected to their familiars. One was a black cat, the other a Yorkshire terrier.

One of the things discovered by Witches during the First Neuroi War, was that their familiars had photographic memories. They could see a map and recall it in detail, like a built in navigation system for the Witch, with minimal magic used.

During Primary Flight School. Audrey had once tried to navigate by herself, without help from Kitana. But she was unable to remember and recognize the way points, terrain and landmarks, so she got totally lost. Kitana gently corrected her (after a heartfelt I-told-you-so) and guided safely her to the destination. When Audrey arrived late, her instructor chewed her out for not having the faith to trust her familiar.

"For this mission, Boings, you designation is Tortie 1" Thumper said, drawing laughs from all the Witches in the room.

Just after the First Neuroi War, a newspaper columnist wrote a series of columns on the nature of Witches and magic, from his perspective as the husband and father of Witches. In one of his columns, he wrote of the affinity of Witches and magic seemed similar to the affinity of calico and tortoiseshell cats and their distinctive tri-colored coats. Within a few weeks, this particular column had gone around the world, translated in over 60 different languages, earning him the Pulitzer prize for that year. It was so well received by the Witch community, that Witches would often refer to themselves as "Callies" or "Torties"

"You'll be guided by Range Control to Way point Sierra. You'll be contacted by your ground controller there. You'll be under their direction, until you accomplish the mission or other circumstances intervene. Your first target will be here, near Way point Tango. Your GC will mark the target and suggest the best approach Same thing will happen for your next two targets near Way point Uniform and Way point Whiskey. Once done, you'll be guided to Way point X-ray, where you'll be turned over to Range Control and guided back to base. Any Questions?" Thumper asked.

 _Got all that, Kitana?_ Audrey thought

 _Of course! It's going to be fun, and remember to look pretty for the camera!_ Kitana replied brightly.

"No questions, Thumper." Audrey replied.

"Then let's go out there, do the job, and be safe." Thumper announced, ending the briefing.

 _We'll talk more once we take off_ Audrey thought at Kitana, as her fox ears and tail disappeard.

"Captain Gains, can I see your helmet for a minute? I just want to attach the camera and battery pack properly" Captain Willis asked, as they walked out to the hanger.

"Sure, here it is" Audrey replied, handing her helmet to the other Witch.

"What are these?" Captain Will asked, pointing to two chrome things clipped to the sides of the helmet.

"Oh, those are my 'check-six' mirrors." Audrey responded brightly.

"Check-six mirrors?" Captain Willis asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Instead of using magic, I have these mirrors to 'check-six'without magic, just like in driving a car" Audrey replied.

"Cool! I never thought of that! Where did you get them? Are they expensive?" Captain Willis asked excitedly.

"I got these at a bicycle shop in North Las Vegas, but I think you can find them in any bike shop. These only cost me $25.00 for the pair." Audrey said, proud of her ingenuity." 

"Here you go" Captain Wills said, handing Audrey her helmet.

"I've clipped the camera lens assembly to your visor, so we'll see everything you'll see. The battery pack on the back of your helmet is good for up to 8 hours, and the transmitter attached to it has a range of 3 miles, so Lieutenant Barnes and I will manage the recording remotely. All you need to do is fly the mission." Captain Willis continued.

Audrey took her helmet back and walked up to 451's cradle. She kicked off her sandals and ran lightly up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she took one big step and leaped up. As she came down, her legs slid smoothly into the Striker units. She and Kitana connected, as her fox ears and tail appeared, and the surge of magic flowed through her to the Strikers. She then put on her helmet, taking care not to crimp her ears too much and then fastened her chin strap. The weapon housing on her right opened, and the cradle holding her M60 extended. She picked it up, looping the sling over her head and shoulder, checked to make sure the safety was on and then clipped the machine gun securely to her side.

Audrey looked up and saw Chief Master Sergeant Dalton standing in front of her, wearing red hearing protectors and yellow safety glasses. He raised his left fist, and Audrey nodded. He then raised a finger of his right hand, and spun it in a circle several times. Audrey poured more magic into the magic turbine engine, which started making a noise like a big fan. As she poured more magic into the engine, it started, and a thunderous whining roar filled the hanger. Nodding, Chief Master Sergeant Dalton moved away, giving Audrey a thumbs up.

Audrey slapped the cradle release with her left hand. The Striker lurched forward, as the magic circle appeared under her. It took a few moments for her to find her balance, especially with the capacity load attached to the Striker. A Striker handler in front of her, motioned her forward with his lighted amber batons. Audrey moved forward, and turned left at the handler's direction. Another handler motioned her forward, towards the center of the hanger, directing her to turn right at the center of the open door. The senior Striker handler motioned her forward to the open hanger door. As she approached the open door, the handler saluted, then turned, dropped to one knee and pointed out the hanger door.

Audrey returned the salute, turned on her radio, and set the channel selector to the first position. As she emerged from the hanger, she pulled down her visor, and watched, as the readouts for her airspeed indicator, compass and altimeter came alive across the top of the visor. She then contacted the tower.

"Nellis Tower, this is Tortie 1, radio check over" Audrey called.

"Tortie 1, the is Nellis Tower, we read you five by five. Temperature is 69 degrees, barometric pressure is 30.46 inches and steady. Wind is out of the southwest at 11 miles an hour. Visibility is 12 miles. Ceiling is 22,000 feet with broken cumulonimbus. Over" a calm male voice answered.

"Nellis Tower, Tortie 1, requesting taxi instructions, over" Audrey said.

"Tortie 1, Nellis Tower, take taxiway Zulu to junction Delta, turn right, and turn left to runway 1-4 West. Over" the tower answered.

"Acknowledged Nellis tower. Taxiway Zulu to junction Delta, turn right, and turn left to runway 1-4 West. Out" Audrey replied.

Audrey smiled to herself. Air Traffic Control wasn't taking any chances that she'd run out of runway taking off. The West runways were over 20,000 feet in length and normally used by the B-52s when then came in for training. A fully loaded B-52 needed every foot of those runways on hot days when taking off with a full load.

Aligning with the beginning of runway 1-4 West, Audrey called the tower

"Nellis Tower, Tortie 1 requests permission for full military power takeoff. Over."

Full military power takeoffs were seldom used, because of noise problems and its extravagant use of fuel and magic. The only exceptions were for emergency combat takeoffs or when carrying a heavy bomb load.

"Tortie 1, you are cleared for full military power takeoff, over" Nellis Tower responded.

"Nellis Tower, acknowledged Out" Audrey said.

 _Let's get airborne!_ Kitana exulted.

Both Audrey and Kitana pored more magic into the Strikers. They started moving slowly forward and rapidly picked up speed, in spite of the weight of the bomb load they were carrying. A quarter of the way down the runway, Audrey mentally urged the Striker up. Slowly, they rose into the air. This was Audrey's favorite moment, escaping the grasp of gravity to dance in the sky, if only for a little while.

"Nellis tower, Tortie 1 is airborne, Over." Audrey sang out.

"Acknowledged, Tortie 1. Climb to Angels 5, turn to course 330. Contact Range Control on preset channel 4. Over." Nellis Tower responded.

"Acknowledged, Nellis Tower, Out" Audrey replied.

"Acknowledged, Tortie1. Have a good mission and remember to smile pretty for the cameras. Out"

Nellis Tower called out, with a chuckle.

Audrey rotated the channel selector to the fourth position and called out to Range Control.

"Range Control, this is Tortie 1. Request vector to Way Point Sierra, over"

"Tortie 1, this is Range Control. Continue on current heading. You should be there in approximately 10 minutes. Contact your FAC on preset channel 7. Over" Range Control replied.

"Range Control, what is the FAC's designation? Over" Audrey inquired. This was one of the questions that the briefing left unanswered, and it troubled her.

"Tortie1, We were told that you would recognize it when you heard it. Out" Range Control answered cryptically.

 _What did they mean I'd recognize it when I heard it?_ Audrey thought

 _Just be patient. We'll find out soon enough_ Kitana replied,

When Audrey arrived at Way Point Sierra, she changed to Channel 7 and called the FAC.

"Unknown station, this is Tortie 1, Identify, Over:

"Tortie 1, this here is Raven 1-6, Over" replied a distinctive baritone voice in a slow unhurried drawl.

 _Oh Gosh, It's Will!_ Audrey thought

 _Oh this going to be fun!_ Kitana chuckled.

 _Let's stick to business!_ Audrey thought furiously.

"Raven 1-6, request vector to Way point Tango. Over" Audrey called out in a businesslike tone.

"Roger that, Tortie 1. You are Weapons Free. Turn to course 040. Target will be marked by blue smoke. Recommend ingress from the southwest, a sharp left after weapon release and egress to the northeast behind the hills. Over" Will replied,

"Acknowledged, Raven 1-6. Weapons Free. Turning to course 040. I see blue smoke. Dropping to 1,000 feet. Rolling in hot. Over" Audrey said, as she focused on the target.

 _Let me look and I'll spot the IP for you_ Kitana thought, mentioning the IP, the initialization point, where the Witch would "squeeze the pickle" to release her bomb load.

 _Okay, let's do this_ Audrey thought.

At that moment, Audrey's vision cleared and sharpened. Everything stood out in sharp relief and she was easily able to pick out the target, even through the cloud of blue smoke. This was her intrinsic magic gift, having Kitana's vision added to her own.

 _There we go, I've marked the IP for you_ Kitana announced

 _Did you take into account that the fins aren't going to give as much drag as the Mk 81s?_ Audrey asked.

 _Of course I did! It's not like we haven't done this dozens of times before!_ Kitana replied indignatly.

Audrey dropped down to 750 feet, and slowed to 400 knots.

A bright square stood out on the ground some 300 yards in front of the target. Kitana had correctly marked the IP. Dropping down further to 500 feet, Audrey accelerated to 475 knots, lining up on the IP. As the IP approached quickly, Kitana mentally yelled at Audrey.

 _We've at the IP!_

"Breakaway, breakaway, breakaway!" Audrey yelled into her mic.

Mentally, Audrey 'squeezed the pickle', and the Striker lurched up and forward as all of the Mk84s released cleanly. She fought to control the Striker, keeping low and pouring all the magic she could muster into the engine. She wanted to be as far away from the impact area as possible. She saw the last hill and banked hard left to get behind it.

At that moment, all of the Mk 84s exploded. The sun was blotted out by the huge cloud of smoke, dust and debris. The thunderous roar of the explosion deafened her, as the air turned into a solid hammer, battering her Striker. She fought to control the Striker and the pressure lessened as she put the hill between her and the impact area. She turned northeast, and strove for altitude. She coughed a couple of times, then called Will.

"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is egressing. Request vector to Way point Uniform, Over"

"Tortie 1, turn to course 224. Target is a ridge line running northeast to southwest. Friendly units dug in on southeast side of ridge. Target marked with red smoke. Danger close. Over" Will called out.

"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 Acknowledges danger close, out" Audrey replied.

'Danger close' meant that there were friendly units in close proximity of the target. Normally, the ground units would take cover when a plane, Striker, or artillery targeted the area. A lot of care would be taken to keep ordnance close but not too close to the friendly unit.

 _Since the Mk77s have no blast or shrapnel, we can drop them fairly close!_ Kitana mentioned.

 _Not too close, nobody likes being splattered by burning jellied gasoline that sticks to everything it touches!_ Audrey snapped back.

After a few minutes, Audrey saw the red smoke and ridge line. Kitana set the IP further away from the top of the ridge line, because the Mk77s were low drag, and would carry the Striker's speed better. That meant they would travel farther after release and spread their payload farther on impact.

Audrey dropped to 500 feet, lining up on the indicated IP. In her mind's eye, she could see Neuroi walkers working their way up the northwest side of the ridge, ready to crest it and descend on the defenders in the trenches on the reverse slope.

About 500 yards from the IP, the radio crackled to life, and Will's voice called out.

"Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow!"

 _Dammit!_ Audrey cussed, as the anger and adrenaline surged through her.

"Tortie 1 Acknowledges Broken Arrow. Rolling in hot." Audrey growled

Originally the phrase meant an accident involving a nuclear weapon or one of its components. During Vietnam, it took on an entirely different meaning.

Friendly unit being overrun. Any available air support, target my position with any available ordnance.

 _Adjusting IP_ Kitana stated calmly. Sensing Audrey's agitation and anger, she barked at Audrey..

 _Get a grip! You've got a job to do, and you know what you have to do! They wouldn't be calling for this if they thought there was another way! This is their last chance, so let's give to theme! IP set!_

 _We have to go in lower and faster. We don't want any unnecessary casualties because one of the Mk77s went astray._ Audrey snarled back.

Dropping down to 250 feet, Audrey accelerated to 500 knots. The adjusted IP came up shockingly fast, and as she passed it, she mentally released the Mk77s and called to Will.

"Breakaway, Breakaway, Breakaway!"

All of the Mk77s hit the ground in a few seconds, still traveling almost 500 knots. They ignited on impact as their contents were spread the length of the trench still moving at the speed of impact. A wall of flame, heat and smoke almost instantly appeared. Audrey felt the blast of heat as the smoke blotted out the sky. The smoke and the overwhelming odor of raw gasoline caused her to cough several time.

Audrey climbed and banked around to the southwest end of the trench, which was filled with flame and smoke. As she did, she unclipped the M60 and pulled back the bolt. As she put the machine gun to her shoulder, she flicked off the safety and with the help of Kitana's vision, lined up the trench through the iron sights. She slowed to 350 knots and staying at 250 feet, she squeezed the trigger.

The roar of the machine gun and the recoil bucking against Audrey's shoulder consumed her senses, which were still permeated by the heat, smoke and stench of raw gasoline. The red streaks of the tracers cut through the smoke and flame as Audrey flew down the length of the trench. She released the trigger once she saw the green tracer and climbed away. She circled around to the northeast end of the trench and lined up her sights. She squeezed the trigger and saw the stream of red tracers march its way down the length of the trench. Again the heat, smoke and smell of gasoline filled her senses as she flew through it.

Audrey banked away from the ridgeline, still coughing from the smoke and the gasoline odor. She held the machine gun away from her as the heat radiating from the barrel merged with the heat from the burning incendiaries. Climbing into cooler and cleaner air, she called to Will, doing her best to keep her fury out of her voice, hoarse from the choking fumes of the gasoline.

"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is egressing. Request vector to Way Point Whiskey, over"

"Tortie 1, turn to course 166, Target is marked by orange smoke" Will replied.

The last target turned out to be a cluster of buildings marked with the orange smoke. Audrey came in at about 1,000 feet and slowed to 300 knots. Kitana marked an IP some 200 yards from the buildings. Audrey raised the M60 to her shoulder, and she squeezed the reigger as she passed the IP, lining up her sights on the buildings with Kitana's help.

The stream of red tracers chewed through the building and started in on the next, as the green tracer shot forward. Audrey released the trigger, banked away and gained altitude. She came in from a different direction and repeated the opening run. Once again, seeing the green tracer, she banked away again and came in for another run from yet another direction. As she saw the green tracer fly to the target, the machine gun's bolt locked open, signifying that she was out of ammunition.

"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is Winchester, Request vector to Way point X-Ray. Over" Audrey called.

"Tortie 1, turn to course 150, climb to Angels 6, Way point X-Ray is marked by purple ." Will replied.

After a few minutes, Audrey saw the purple smoke and called out to Will again.

"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is at Way point X-Ray. Over.""

"Tortie 1, switch to preset channel 4 and contact Range Control. You are Weapons Hold. Over" Will said.

"Tortie 1 acknowledges Weapons Hold. Changing to preset channel 4. Out." Audrey snapped.

Audrey contacted Range Control and got guided back to Way point Sierra, where she contacted Nellis Tower. The odor of raw gasoline clung to her like a cloud, tracking her movements. It was one of the things she hated about incendiaries.

 _I'll probably have to wash this uniform at least twice to get the smell out. It's probably on my skin and in my hair, as well. I'll have to spend some time in the steam bath and shampoo my hair twice to get rid of all this! And I need to talk to Will about this Broken Arrow thing_ Audrey thought sourly.

 _Now, now. I understand why you're so angry at Will. There was no reason for a Broken Arrow call in the middle of a demo like this. I also think a good steam bath would be good to de-stress. We'll have to talk to Will and set him straight on this as well._ Kitana replied soothingly.

 _Damn right I'm gonna set him straight!_ Audrey replied, angrily.

Audrey was guided by the tower to contact Ground Control Approach. Getting clearance to land, she landed on of the East runways, as the magic circle appeared beneather her Striker. At the end of the runway, was a jeep with yellow flashing lights, and a big sign on the back with FOLLOW ME in big reflective letters. She taxied around and followed the jeep as it led her back to the 67th Squadron hangers. The jeep turned away, as the senior Striker handler came out to guide her in.

Following the handler's instructions, Audrey was guided back to 451's cradle. Two handlers appeared on either side of Audrey, and physically moved the Striker back to the cradle. The cradle arms locked on to the Striker. The weapon housing opened, extending the weapon cradle. Audrey unslung the machine gun from around her neck, and dropped into the cradle. She withdrew her magic from the Striker, and the turbine wound down and stopped. She unbuckled her chinstrap and took off her helmet.

 _I'll talk to you later. I'm going to have some words with Will_ Audrey thought

 _Okay, we'll talk soon, and don't be too hard on Will. He may not have had a choice._ Kitana replied.

Audrey crawled out of the Striker, as her tail and ears disappeared. She stood unsteadily on the platform for a moment, before descending and finding her sandals. First thing she did was to check the Striker. The new paint job was scorched and smoke stained, so she talked to the handlers about scrubbing it and touching up the paint. As Audrey made her way to the armory, Captain Willis came up to greet her.

"Here, let me get the camera and transmitter off your helmet." Captain Wills said.

Audrey silently handed Captain Willis her helmet, and the Captain deftly detached the transmitter, the camera and the lens assembly, and handed it back to Audrey.

"That was fantastic! We got some great footage, especially of the second target! We'll get right to work on editing the footage and splicing in all the radio traffic as well. Hopefully, it should only take a few days." Captain Willis gushed to Audrey.

"You must be tired, we'll talk more later" Captain Willis said quietly, seeing Audrey's lack of response.

Audrey turned away and headed to the armory. She cleared and checked in her .45 Auto and the three clips of unused ammunition. As she headed back out to the hanger, she bumped into Will. Thai brought her out of the seeming daze, as her anger surged and re-energized her. She straightened up, her eyes flashed dangerously, while her face flushed as it contorted in a grim mask.

"Y'all alright, Audrey? How about some dinner after you get cleaned up?"Will asked, seemingly not picking up on her current mood.

"Captain Robinson, we need to talk. Alone" Audrey growled through clenched teeth.

Will's happy smile vanished, replaced by a worried look as he just nodded. Audrey turned around and walked stiff-backed in quick, angry steps to a far corner of the hanger. Once there, she turned around, pointed to a crate in the corner to Will. As he sat down, she let slip the control she had on the surge of anger filling her.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, CALLING BROKEN ARROW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEMONSTRATION! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS TO US! THERE WASN'T ANY REASON FOR IT!" as Audrey's stentorian bellow shook the hanger.

"Audrey, Ah'm sorry. But I was ordered to do it. Ah didn't have a choice" Will quietly replied, trying his best to placate Audrey.

"YOU WERE ORDERED TO? WHO WAS THE IDIOTIC MORON WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? DIDN'T THEY KNOW WHAT "BROKEN ARROW' MEANS TO US WHO FLY CLOSE AIR SUPPORT?" Audrey's outrage and anger grew exponentially, on discovering that someone else was responsible for this.

"That 'idiotic moron' would be me, Captain Gains" said a cold soprano voice behind Audrey.

Audrey whirled around to see General Jablonski rolling up in her wheelchair. Both she and Will snapped to attention, saluted, and said "Ma'am" in unison. General Jablonski locked her wheelchair, pushed herself up on her one leg, returned the salute, and sat back down. She looked at Will.

"Captain Robinson, you're dismissed. I need to have a conversation with Captain Gains" the General addressed Will in the same cold voice.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Will said, as he saluted and got away as fast as he could.

General Jablonski turned back to Audrey, still standing at attention, and gave her a cold appraising glare. For Audrey's part, even standing in front of the General, the anger still boiled inside her. She struggled to keep her face and posture strictly military, as she waited for the General to speak.

"Captain Gains, I realize that this last mission was stressful, but when I give an order, I expect it to be carried out to the best of your ability. YOU WILL NOT QUESTION ANY ORDERS I GIVE YOU PUBLICLY AGAIN! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, CAPTAIN?" the General thundered in a stern commanding tone.

"Yes, Ma'am, perfectly clear." Audrey said in a quavering voice.

"Come by my office when you get cleaned up and changed. I'll see you in an hour. You're dismissed, Boings" General Jablonski said in a much quieter tone, as she turned her wheelchair around and rolled towards the hanger door.

Audrey walked slowly to her locker. She opened it, put her helmet inside. Then she took off her throat mike, took her earpiece out and put those in the locker. Finally, she took off her shoulder holster and SERE pack, closing and locking her locker once she placed them inside. She drove back to the BOQ, and once inside her room, she stripped down and undid her hair. Wrinkling her nose, she tossed her clothes into the hamper, including her flight jacket and went to take a shower. After scrubbing herself vigorously, she shampooed her hair twice just as vigorously. After getting out, Audrey dried off, and blow dried her hair. Opening her wall locker, she looked thorough her uniforms. Deciding to go with her fatigues, she pulled on a pair of OD green bikini shorts. She slipped into a bra, pulled on a T-shirt, and an OD green fatigue shirt. She slipped on a pair of golf socks and her black pumps. She turned to the mirror on the wall, hastily braiding and coiling her hair, then she secured it tightly. She put on her chronometer and dog tags, noting she had only 10 minutes to get to the Commandant's office. She grabbed her purse, wallet and keys, and then left.

Arriving at the Commandant's office with a few minutes to spare, Audrey saw that no one was in the outer office and that the door to the inner office was open. General Jablonski was sitting at her desk, looking up to see Audrey come in. The General motioned for her to come in and gestured her to a chair in front of the desk. Audrey sat down, waiting nervously. The General closed the folder on her desk and took off her glasses. She sternly looked at Audrey.

"Let me emphasize this again, to make myself clear. You may disagree privately with whatever orders I give, but you will carry them out to the best of your ability and you not publicly question them. Do you understand?" The General stated in a clear soprano voice that brooked no argument.

"I understand, ma'am. It won't happen again." Audrey stated emphatically, looking the General steadily in the eye.

"Good. I'm glad we got that cleared up." General Jablonski replied, as she sat back in her chair.

The General rubbed her forehead and the bridge of her nose, as if to relieve a headache. The normally stern expression slipped off her face, and she seemed to age before Audrey's eyes, as the lines of fatigue and stress carved themselves deeply into her face. The General looked up at Audrey with a speculative expression. She sat up straighter, as if she had come to some decision, a milder expression coming over her face.

"Okay, Boings. I'll tell you why I called for a Broken Arrow in the middle of the demonstration. However, this stays between us and does not leave this office. Do you understand?" General Jablonski said, in a milder but stern tone.

"I understand, Ma'am. It stays between us and in this office." Audrey said, sitting up straighter.

"There has been talk in Congress of barring all women, Witches included from any combat role. To that end, all services would disband any Striker unit, and discharge the women who were part of that unit." General Jablonski said, through clenched teeth.

"But why? Air and ground Striker units have been the most effective units in opposing the Neuroi! And that's been proven in all conflicts with the Neuroi! I don't understand!" Audrey exclaimed, a seriously confused expression on her face.

General Jablonski's face settled into a stern mask, her gray eyes glittering with her anger.

"This has nothing to do with the effectiveness of air and ground Striker units in combat. Some members of Congress are 'horrified' that we are sending girls and young women into combat and that some are killed or wounded as a result, even though it's been like that for more than three generations. Some feel that the new AirLand Battle 2000 doctrine and the coming new generation of aircraft and precision guided weapons render Striker units unnecessary. Others oppose employing Striker units in combat for philosophical reasons. Some are still uncomfortable with the whole concept of magic, and that the overwhelming number of magic users are Witches. Others feel that women in general, and Witches in particular, are the 'weaker vessel'. They think that the girls and young women sent into combat as Strike Witches are too 'soft', too 'squeamish' to withstand the horrors and brutal reality of combat. They think that we Strike Witches lack the discipline and professionalism to carry out difficult, but necessary orders in the heat of battle." General Jablonski stated, in a sarcastically angry but tightly controlled tone.

"So that's why I ordered a Broken Arrow call in the middle of this demonstration. I know all too well what that means to any pilot and Witch that flies close air support missions. I know it was going to put you under a great deal of stress, and was as real as we could make it at the time. I must say, that I was proud of how you took the call and carried it out. This may prove to be the most critical part of the demonstration, and I want to thank you for your discipline and professionalism" General Jablonski said quietly, a broad smile on her face.

Leaning forward, General Jablonski gave Audrey a clear keen look.

"Boings, I see a great deal of potential in you to make a greater impact with the Air Force. You are destined to be more than just an instructor. There will be new challenges coming your way, and I hope you will reach out, embrace them and grow from them. You're dismissed." General Jablonski said in an earnest, encouraging tone.

As Audrey rose and saluted, the General said one last thing to her.

"One last thing, Boings! Take Captain Robinson to the O club for dinner tonight. It's on me. Order anything you like." the General said, as she returned Audrey's salute

"Yes, Ma'am!" Audrey said brightly.

Getting back to her quarters, she called Will and apologized for yelling at him, and relayed the General's offer for dinner. Meeting at the O club, they both enjoyed themselves, and Audrey relayed the General's cryptic message about other opportunities. Will was enthusiastic, encouraging her to take whatever came up. They celebrated with a shared chocolate decadence cake, promising each other to work out extra hard the next week.

The next week started out with Audrey getting prepared for the upcoming instructional cycle. On Tuesday, Danno called an all-hands meeting at the end of the day in the squadron hanger. A big screen TV was set up, and Colonel Caruthers showed the fully edited version of the demonstration video. There were lots of cheers, applause and whistles for Audrey, and everyone gathered around her to offer their congratulations on a job well done, much to her embarrassment.

On Friday, Audrey was called to Danno's office first thing in the morning. Wondering what was going on, she found herself seated in front of Danno's desk before reveille. Danno was looking at a paper in her hand, as Audrey waited for her to speak. Finally, Danno put down the paper and looked at Audrey.

"Well. Boings. You must have made some kind of impression on the brass with the demonstration mission. You're off the instructional cycle until further notice. I've just received authorization and orders to send you to flight conversion training." Danno said in a slightly incredulous voice.

Flight conversion training taught Witches to fly conventional aircraft in their specific career qualification. So Audrey would be trained to be qualified flying an A-7D, just like any other non-magic Close Air Support pilot. It got around the prohibitions of training women for combat, by being classified as "cross-training.", that Witches were already in combat units. This program was considered to be for special Witches that the Air Force wanted to retain and had the potential for higher rank and greater responsibility.

Audrey sat there, stunned. She had hoped for the chance to fly conventional aircraft, but she never thought the chance would come so soon or suddenly. Then she remembered General Jablonski's advice to embrace new opportunities, and it all made sense. This was Jabby's way of giving her career a boost.

Danno smirked at Audrey's befuddlement.

"You'll be sent to Sheppard AFB for 4 months TDY. After that, you'll do 2 months with the 66th as a student, before you come back to us. Since you won't report there for 3 weeks, I urge you to get in all the simulator time in that you can. General Selfridge has authorized you up to 80 hours, and I suggest you use them all. Get going, they'll be expecting to see you this afternoon. Good luck, and all I can say, is that I wish I was going." Danno stated, unable to keep the raw envy out of her voice.


	14. Chapter 14

Mid Summer 1974

67th Fighter Weapons Squadron

US Air Force Fighter Weapons School

Nellis AFB

Las Vegas NV

Audrey sat in her new office, plowing steadily through one of several piles of paperwork on her desk. Some of them needed to go to Danno for her action and signature. Others had to be routed to the Maintenance and Administration squadrons for their action. Still others had to go to various departments within the squadron itself. A few documents required action on her part. It was a chore getting then categorized and routed to the right people to take action. It was already giving Audrey a headache.

 _This isn't what I had in mind after coming back from flight conversion training and spending 2 months with the 66th!_ She thought sourly.

Flight conversion training was a whole new experience for Audrey, and she discovered why it was so difficult for Witches to make the transition to conventional aircraft. For Witches, flying a Striker was an instinctive experience. You thought about what action to take, and it was done. Flying a conventional aircraft required much more thought and deliberate physical action.

Audrey's first simulator experiences were phenomenally bad. In the beginning, she crashed at least 50 times, before she got the hang of the controls. She developed a profound respect for Will and the other pilots, and how they handled the intricate dance between stick, rudder pedals and throttle. She was overwhelmed by the myriad of instruments and what she had to keep track of. Finally, the odd experience of sitting upright in the cockpit and wearing a full flight suit was totally foreign to her.

 _If this means that I might be able to keep flying after my magic falls below the level that would let me fly a Striker, I'll do whatever I need to keep flying!_ Audrey thought with her characteristic determination and stubbornness.

By the time she reported to Sheppard AFB for flight conversion training, Audrey had a firm grasp of the challenges set before her. Her instructors were older Witches, many who had seen combat, like Audrey. After a quick refresher of ground school and FAA regulations, it was a total immersion course, where she spent most of each day flying in a trainer, under the watchful eye of her instructors. At the end of each day, would be an after-action debriefing, detailing what she did well that day, and what she needed to improve.

To Audrey, apart from the physical effort to control a conventional aircraft, the experience was similar to her flying a Striker. That all changed when she started the final part of primary flight training. That was the day Major Barbara "Boom Boom" Cannon, her final primary flight instructor, introduced her to the T-38 Talon trainer.

Ready for her first flight in the T-38, Audrey walked out onto the tarmac with Boom Boom. Sitting on its tricycle landing gear, was what she thought was a two seat fighter. But she could not see any under wing hard points and there were no gun ports visible. It looked more like a dart or a spearhead than a training aircraft. Boom Boom leaned over to her and said, with a smile.

"Doesn't look like any trainer you've seen before, right? Doesn't fly like one either. Climb aboard, and I'll show you"

At Major Cannon's gesture, Audrey climbed up and seated herself in the front cockpit. She strapped herself in and connected her mic and oxygen mask to the jacks marked for them. Boom Boom did the same in the rear cockpit. Lowering and locking the canopy, Boom Boom's voice echoed in Audrey's ears.

"Since this is your first flight in a Talon, you can just keep your hands in your lap, unless I tell you to do something. I guarantee this is going to be an experience you'll remember." she said, cryptically.

Boom Boom waved to the ground crew, who connected the auxiliary power units on either side of the plane.

"Show them your hands, Boings!" Boom Boom called through the intercom.

Obediently, Audrey held up both hands, as Boom Boom did the same. The ground crew switched on the auxiliary power units, getting a low moan from the engines. Then both engines started with a whining roar, as the ground crew unplugged the power units, rolled them away, dragged away the wheel chocks, and saluted. Boom Boom returned the salute, and moved the throttle forward.

The Talon moved slowly as Boom Boom maneuvered the nose steering wheel towards the taxiway.

She called for taxi instructions and was guided to one of the north runways. Poised at the end of the runway, Boom Boom called the tower again.

"Sheppard tower, this is Talon 1, requesting permission for full military power takeoff. I've got a newbie on board. Over."

"Talon 1, you are cleared for full military power takeoff. Be gentle with her. Out." the tower replied, with a chuckle.

"Ready to really fly, Boings?" Boom Boom called through the intercom.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Audrey replied.

Boom Boom pushed the throttles forward, holding on to the brakes. As the engine noise built to a crescendo, she released the brakes. The trainer shot forward, and soon, she was pulling back on the stick. The trainer literally leaped off the ground.

"Gear up!" Boom Boom shouted over the roar of the engines.

Audrey pulled back on the gear retraction lever, and saw 3 red lights on her instrument panel change to green, as three thumps confirmed that the landing gear had retracted and stowed.

"Gear is up" Audrey shouted back to Boom Boom.

"Here we go, Boings!" Boom Boom shouted.

Almost instantly, Audrey found herself on her back, facing the sky, as the howling thrust of the engines pinned her to the ejection seat. She saw the altimeter on the heads-up display counting up at a dizzying rate. At over 40,000 feet, the nose of the trainer tipped backwards, and the trainer came around in a hammerhead stall turn. After leveling off, Boom Boom threw the trainer into a couple of snap rolls, rolled into a split-s and then followed by a pitchback.

For the rest of the flight, Boom Boom rarely flew straight and level. She had the T-38 climbing, diving, turning, banking, rolling, pitching and yawing in all sorts of aerobatic maneuvers. Audrey was tossed around in the front cockpit, left and right as well as up and down. She was grateful she took Boom Boom's advice to tighten her flight harness to the point of discomfort, or she'd have been thrown all over the cockpit.

"Boings, we're almost at bingo fuel. Ready to lose your virginity?" Boom Boom called through the intercom.

"What the heck are you talking about? Sure, I guess" Audrey replied tentatively.

"Okay, here we go!" Boom Boom shouted.

The T-38 dove towards the ground, leveling out at about 100 feet. Boom Boom pushed the throttles up to the stops, and the trainer flung itself forward, riding the rising howl of its engines. Audrey was shoved back into the ejection seat, as her head snapped back, stopped only by the seat's head rest. She could feel the G's building up, as her body quickly became much heavier. The flight suit inflated, squeezing her legs, keeping her from blacking out. Suddenly there was a crackling BOOM that shook the aircraft.

Audrey looked around, and she saw the condensation rippling off the wing's leading edges and tips in the shape of shock-waves. It was then that she realized that she was flying faster than the speed of sound! She looked at the Mach meter and saw that they were flying at Mach 1.2.

"Congrats, Boings! Welcome to your first supersonic flight! You're no longer a supersonic virgin!" Boom Boom laughed in the intercom.

"It's amazing" Audrey said, in an awestruck voice.

Suddenly, Boom Boom executed a half roll, and Audrey found herself looking UP at the ground, passing by at over Mach 1. It was dizzying and disorienting, and she felt her stomach do flip flops.

Boom Boom did another half roll, pulled up and throttled the engines back. She circled the trainer back to the base.

Lining up for the final approach, Boom Boom called out to Audrey.

"Boings! Gear down!"

Audrey reached for the landing gear control and pushed it forward sharply. There was an electric whine as the landing gear extended and three thumps as it locked into place. The three green indicators for the landing gear position on the instrument panel turned red.

"Gear down and locked!" Audrey called out.

As Boom Boom called the tower for final approach instructions, Audrey slumped back against the ejection seat. The flight had been a totally new experience, something she never imagined she'd ever have. Nothing she had experienced could even come close, not even her first flight in a Striker

Boom Boom executed a near-perfect landing, and taxied around to the trainer's area on the tarmac. Following the plane handler's directions, she maneuvered the trainer onto it's proper place on the tarmac. Once parked, Boom Boom set the brakes and shut down the engines. The whining roar ceased, leaving a deafening silence. The ground crews set chocks around the landing gear wheels, and ran crew ladders against the trainer's fuselage, as Boom Boom activated the control to raise the canopy.

Audrey slowly unhooked her oxygen mask and radio cable from the cockpit side panel. She undid the seat harness's quick release buckle and slowly levered herself up out of the ejection seat. She pushed herself over the rim of the canopy and stood shakily on the crew ladder for a moment. Holding on to both rails, she slowly made it to the tarmac. She stood there, hanging onto the crew ladder, trying to steady her shaking knees and quell the unsettled rebellion of her stomach. She unbuckled her chin strap and slowly pulled off her helmet. She became aware of how much her neck and shoulders ached, and she rolled her head and shrugged her shoulders to alleviate some of pain and stiffness.

"You okay, Boings?" Boom Boom asked, as she approached Audrey, her helmet under her left arm.

"I...I think so. That was the most intense experience of my life. Not even my first flight in a Striker could compare." Audrey replied with a noticeable quaver in her voice.

"Yeah, and the air-to-air guys live for it every time they fly. Once they experience it, it's like a drug they get hooked on and can't get enough of. I know some of them would stay airborne the rest of their lives, if we could figure a way to feed them and take care of their needs during mid-air refueling." Boom Boom said, with a laugh.

"Boings, you won't be getting chances to fly supersonic doing close air support, so I don't think that's going to be a problem for you." Boom Boom continued.

"C'mon, Boings, I'll buy you a drink to celebrate you losing your supersonic virginity!" Boom Boom declared brightly, as she patted Audrey on the shoulder.

The succeeding flights had Audrey take the controls, as she put the T-38 through its paces. Not only were there supersonic dashes, but they practiced every maneuver Boom Boom could think of relating to close air support, as well as every maneuver Audrey could do with a Striker

One exercise that Audrey never did in a Striker, was mid-air refueling. It was nerve wracking to maneuver so close to a KC 135 tanker, knowing it was carrying over 80,000 pounds of JP-4 fuel. Audrey flew up under the tail of the KC-135, fighting the tanker's jet wash and turbulence, as they flew together at over 300 knots. She watched as the refueling boom unhooked from the tanker's tail, and literally flew down to meet her, as she moved closer, under guidance of the boom operator, who was called "Clancy", (because "he lowered the boom".)

"Clancy" called out instructions to Audrey to move closer. When Audrey and Boom Boom were close enough, the refueling probe made contact with the fueling receptacle behind the cockpit with a dull thud. Almost instantly, the high pressure high speed pumps started pouring fuel into the T-38's tanks. Within a few minutes, the pumps stopped, and the boom withdrew the fueling probe from the T-38.

"Have a good flight ma'am. Sorry we couldn't clean the windshield or check the oil and tires!" "Clancy" said, as he re-stowed the boom.

"Thanks for the fill up anyway, "Clancy!" Boom Boom called out as Audrey banked the T-38 away from the tanker.

A couple of weeks later, a ceremony was held to commemorate Audrey's graduation from primary flight school again. As Boom Boom pinned on her pilot's wings next to her Strike Witch wings, Audrey did her best not to burst into tears. She did it! She was going to be able to fly, so long as she passed her flight physical, magic or no. In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, Boom Boom and the other instructors crowded around Audrey for a group hug, and proclaimed in unison

"Welcome, Sister!"

There was a raucous celebration at the O club that night, Dinner and drinks were provided by the training establishment, and everyone got silly and giggly. Colonel Karen "Rhino" O'Neil, the commander of the flight conversion training program pulled Audrey aside.

"Congrats, Boings! You're now a member of one of the most exclusive clubs around, the "Two-Winged-Witches! There's only about 100 or so of us in the Air Force, and only some 400 or so worldwide! Now that you're going on to flight qualifications, I wanted to impart a bit of advice." Rhino said, only slurring her words once.

"I'll gladly take any advice you can offer, ma'am" Audrey replied sincerely.

"Don't let the instructors treat you like a novice. You've got more flight time and combat hours than any three of them combined. Make them take you seriously and deal with you as a fellow professional. Don't let them intimidate you, and don't take any of that 'she's just a girl' guff from them! Go out there and fly like you've always have!"Rhino stated, appearing stone cold sober and deadly serious.

"Okay, Ma'am. I'll do the best I can" Audrey replied.

Audrey's next stop was, ironically, Tucson. The Arizona Air National Guard's 152nd Fighter Squadron operated the Air National Guard transition training school for A-7D pilots, and was used by the flight conversion program to do flight qualifications for Witches who graduated from primary flight training.

Looking closely at the A-7D on the tarmac before her for the first time, Audrey was reminded of what Colonel "Mad Jack" Rogers, the 152nd's commander, called the A-7D. He called it a "SLUF; short little ugly fella". Audrey was thinking of something different. A new game called Dungeons and Dragons had become all the rage among the pilots of the 152nd.. It involved a quest, with the players taking on various roles, many of them being non human races, like elves, dwarves, trolls and so on. Audrey had sat in and watched a number of games, and had become familiar with the Dungeons and Dragons world. To her mind, the A-7D was more like a dwarf; short, powerful and dangerous, carrying a very big ax.

One her first flight in an A-7D, Audrey was joined by Kitana, who complained about how the flight suit kinked her tail. She had other sharply pointed comments about what she saw inside the cockpit.

 _There's a 15,000 pound thrust turbofan engine in this thing? I guess this is proof that anything will fly, if you have enough thrust to push it!_

 _Inertial Navigation System? Inertial Bomb Aiming System? What the heck are these? Are these guys so helpless, that they need MACHINES to help them do basic stuff?_

 _Good grief! This thing flies like a dump truck!_

 _Just hush! Quit complaining! I'm certain there'll be things you like, just give it a chance! Let's get familiar with the systems and the new weapons and see what happens!_ Audrey scolded.

Contrary to Kitana's complaints, the A-7D aircraft had similar flight characteristics as the A-7D Striker. Granted, it wasn't supersonic, but it was never designed to be. It wasn't the most maneuverable, but again, it wasn't designed to be. It proved to be steady, predictable, stable and without any major quirks or shortcomings. That suited Audrey just fine, and that enabled her to quickly get up to speed on her qualifications.

The real revelations came with the start of weapons training. While dealing with "iron" bombs, rockets and napalm was pretty much the same in a Striker, Audrey was shocked when she and Kitana went for their first strafing run.

 _A lead computing gun sight? Are these guys really this helpless without magic?_ Kitana asked rhetorically.

 _Will you quit complaining? I've had enough of your attitude! We don't have to use it if you want to make yourself useful!_ Audrey snapped, in an exasperated tone.

 _Okay! Let's do this and see what we can do!_ Kitana exalted, as she and Audrey connected

Audrey's vision sharpened and cleared as Kitana looked through her eyes.

 _There's the target! I got it all lined up for you! Shoot that thing up!_ Kitana laughed.

Audrey squeezed the trigger, and there was a brief sound like ripping cloth. She saw a storm of red tracers streak from the right side of the aircraft, zeroing in on the target. The target disappeared in a cloud of smoke and debris. When the cloud dissipated, the only thing left were the chewed stumps of the target's supports.

 _Was that us? WOW! This sure beats the heck out of an M60! What was that?_ Kitana exclaimed.

 _THAT is an M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon. It's got 6 barrels that rotate, powered by a high speed electric motor. That one second burst fired 100 rounds of 20 mm high explosive incendiary cannon shells. It's a good thing the M61 has a burst limiter, or we would have burned through our 1,000 round ammo load in 10 seconds!_ Audrey replied.

 _All right, I'm officially jealous that these guys have this kind of firepower! I want one on a Striker!_ Kitana declared.

The next revelation was training with first generation precision guided weapons. Once again, Kitana had something to say about them.

 _I wanna see how accurate these so-called 'smart' weapons are! Even magic spelled bombs and rockets weren't all that accurate, at least not enough to be generally useful!_ Kitana grumbled.

 _Just quit griping! At least let Captain Stevens give us the briefing on the fundamentals!_ Audrey replied, in an exasperated tone.

Captain Stevens, the 152nd's training officer strode to the lectern. He put his notes on the lectern and looked out at the half dozen pilots, and began to speak.

"Good morning everyone. I'm Captain Stevens, training officer for the 152nd. Today's lecture is on the fundamentals of precision-guided or 'smart' weapons. This is to distinguish them from unguided or 'dumb' bombs and rockets.".

"These guidance systems have revolutionized close air support. Where once we measured accuracy of delivered ordnance in CEP of yards, with precision guidance systems, we can now measure it in feet,"

"There are two major types of precision guidance systems currently in use. The first one is electro-optical. In essence, it's a tiny TV camera in the nose of the bomb or missile. Once the target is acquired, the memory system of the guidance package locks onto that image, and steers the missile or bomb, keeping the image of the target centered until impact. This system is found in the AGM-65B "Maverick" missile and in the AGM-62 "Walleye" guided bomb packages. Normal range is up to 10 miles for the AGM-62 and about 12 miles for the AGM-65B."

"The other precision guidance system is laser-based. An observer aims a laser designator at a target and shoots a laser beam, which is reflected by the target. An aircraft with a laser sensing pod, like a Pave Penny pod, detects the reflected laser radiation, which is normally invisible. The point of most concentrated laser energy, normally the part that reflects the beam, is shown on the HUD. This information is slaved to the laser guided weapon's guidance package that the plane is carrying. When the bomb or missile is released, the laser seeker homes in on the most concentrated point of laser energy. The range for the Paveway laser-guided bomb packages is the same as the AGM-62. "

"One last thing. Both these systems are what we call 'launch-and-leave'. In other words, once you lock onto the target and launch or release the weapon, it requires no further input from the launching aircraft. You are free to maneuver as you see fit. Are there any questions?"

"I've got a question, Captain. Are there any restrictions on the use of these precision guidance systems?" asked Lieutenant "Zipper" Zolansky

"Well, the current systems are affected by things like smoke, haze, dust, rain, fog and other weather conditions. They're is pretty ineffective at night. But there are second-generation systems that will be more all-weather capable due out soon." Captain Stevens replied.

"Captain Stevens, how accurate are these precision guidance systems?" Captain "Mick" Martin asked.

"Why don't we go to the tape and see for ourselves?" Captain Steven said.

The TV screen in the room lit up, showing the cockpit of an A-7D from over the pilot's shoulder. On the HUD, a red dot appeared, with a 5 digit code beneath it. The pilot brought up his stores readout, selected a GBU-15 laser guided bomb unit and hit a button on the throttle to slave the bomb's laser seeker to the laser spotter's display on the HUD. The pilot hit the thumb button on his stick and called out, "Breakaway, breakaway, breakaway" as the 500 pound laser guided bomb was released from the ejector rack. The camera switched to a view of the bomb, as it's control surfaces altered its course to the target. The camera then showed a bunker, the bomb's target. The last 30 seconds were in slow motion, as the bomb came into the picture, and smashed through the bunker's front door, before exploding inside.

"That accurate enough for you?" Captain Stevens asked rhetorically.

"I take it that this kind of precision doesn't come cheap. What are the relative costs of these guidance packages?" Audrey asked.

"I won't lie to you, they are rather pricey, compared to "iron" bombs and unguided rockets. You could put a full load of Mk 82s on an A-7 for the price of one of the electro-optical guidance packages. The laser-guided packages are much cheaper. Because of that, you'll probably see far more laser guided systems, because the accuracy is pretty much the same under the similar conditions." Captain Stevens replied.

 _Gads! This is almost better than magic! I wish there was some way we could use these with Strikers!_ Kitana thought wistfully.

 _Let's get some practice in with them and see how things go._ Audrey replied.

Kitana had way too much fun with the electro-optically guided weapons in training. She would get Audrey to turn up the magnification to maximum, and was able to pick out the targets, in spite of any kind of camouflage or attempts to hide the targets behind terrain.

One thing that Audrey discovered working with the Pave Penny laser spotting pod, was that laser designators had digital codes embedded in their laser beams, and the Pave Penny could detect the different codes, and program the laser seekers of the bombs with them. This prevented different aircraft from targeting the same target, and allowed an attacking aircraft to launch multiple weapons against multiple targets. Audrey and Kitana got a bit of a thrill during a training mission, where they detected 4 different laser designators, programmed the different codes into four different Paveway bombs, released them, and saw them home on 4 different targets.

 _We HAVE got to get this capability for Strikers!_ Kitana exclaimed.

 _I agree 100%!_ Audrey replied.

The end of qualification training was less formal than for primary flight conversion. All it entailed was a handshake, presentation of a certificate of completion and a letter posted to the recipient's personnel file, stating they were qualified to fly an A-7D for the Air Force. The next day, Audrey received orders sending her back to Nellis as a student with the 66th Fighter Weapons Squadron, reporting in next week.

Audrey came back to Nellis on Friday, and got settled back in, even getting her old room in the BOQ. After unpacking and taking a quick shower, Audrey called Will.

"Hi, Will. This is Audrey. I just got back from Tuscon. How are you?" Audrey said brightly.

"Howdy, y'all! You're back early! Ah didn't expect to see you for another month! Everything okay?" Will asked, concern lacing his tone.

"Everything's just fine! I just finished up and graduated early. Guess they thought I was a quick study! I am now a fully qualified A-7D pilot! Got the certificate and letter to prove it! Looks like I'll be spending a couple of months with the 66th as a student! It's going to be fun flying with you. I can hardly wait!"  
Audrey exclaimed excitedly.

"That's great! What are you doing tonight?" Will asked.

"Well, I was hoping we could have dinner together." Audrey stated, hopefully.

"Ah'm afraid, Ah've got some plans for tonight. Ah just got promoted this week, and some of the guys are throwing me a promotion party at the O club tonight. Would you like to come? Ah'd really like to introduce to them." Will said, earnestly.

Audrey hesitated for a moment. She was hoping for a quiet dinner with Will alone. But the chance to meet some of his colleagues and to congratulate him on his promotion was too tempting to pass up.

"Sure! When and where?" Audrey asked.

"2000 hours at the O Club. I'll see you there!" Will responded.

When Audrey walked up to the promotion party, the reception she got was very formal and restrained, especially when Will introduced her as his "girlfriend." Audrey gave him a sharp look at that announcement. This was a shock to her and not something they've ever discussed. Will just gave her a warm smile. The atmosphere was decidedly chilly, in spite of Audrey pouring forth all of her charm, until she spilled some coffee on her hand and cussed. That seemed to break the ice a little, and let the guys see her as a real person. It wasn't until Will related the story on how they met, that the guys began to see Audrey in a new light, that she was one of them. The party resumed being loud and rowdy, as promotion parties tend to get, and a good time was had by all.

Saturday night, Will and Audrey had a quiet dinner at the Sands. Will apologized for springing the announcement about Audrey being his girlfriend, but He wanted to make clear to his colleagues that he was attached, and that they didn't need to worry about "fixing him up" with anyone. Audrey forgave him and mentioned it might be time to introduce each other to each other's family sooner than later. Will agreed, and suggested some time in the fall would be good.

Monday morning, Audrey got up 3 hours before reveille, and ran 10 miles, just to burn off some of her nervous energy. After a quick shower, she got dressed in full fatigues and then donned her new flight suit. After zipping it up, she began gathering her hair into a tight bun. Once she had pinned it tightly, she picked up her new flight helmet and headed out for a quick breakfast.

Arriving at the 66th building, Audrey was directed to an empty classroom. Just as she was sitting down to wait, another person came in. He was about Audrey's height, but stocky and muscular in build. His dark hair was cut short in a flat top style and his craggy features scowled at Audrey. He was carrying several binders, which he dropped on a table, along with a manila folder. Audrey snapped to attention and said

"Sir!"

"You Gains?" the new officer growled.

"Yes, sir, Captain Audrey Gains reports" Audrey stated.

"I'm Major Sam Hammond, one of the senior instructors of the 66th. Have a seat." Major Hammond replied gruffly.

Audrey took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Major Hammond. He sat, opened the folder and started reading. After a few moments, he looked up at Audrey with an intense expression.

"Says here you were in 'Nam, for a couple of tours, flyin' 'Sandys'" Major Hammond said.

"Yes, I did, sir" Audrey answered

"So did I, the aircraft, not the Striker. Gods, I loved that old bird. Oh, and we're pretty informal around here, even with regular classes. Just call me Ham, like everyone else." Ham said.

"Okay, Ham" Audrey replied brightly.

"What does everyone call you?' Ham asked

"I go by Boing Boing, or Boings for short." Audrey said quietly, blushing furiously

"Don't ask, it a long story." Audrey added, at Ham's raised eyebrow.

Ham read a little more and looked up at Audrey with sly, almost conspiratorial smile,

"So you're an instructor with our sister squadron. Know a Judy Johnson?" Ham asked, with a smile.

"Yes, I do. In fact, JJ and I shared an office for year and a half." Audrey replied.

Ham's eyebrows peaked, as he tried to recall something.

"Gains, Gains...weren't you that Witch that flew the simulated CAS mission on the demo video?" Ham asked.

"Yes, I was."Audrey replied quietly.

"That was a helluva flight. Was kinda fun to see you girls do the same things that we do." Ham stated, his face breaking out in a big smile.

Ham put a big meaty hand on the stack of binders and pushed them off to the side.

"You probably know all this stuff by heart, so the classroom stuff is just a waste of time. Just to cross our t's and dot our i's, let's go to the final practicum. You ready to fly today, Boings?" Ham asked in a brisk, businesslike tone.

"I'm ready to go!" Audrey stated emphatically.

"Let me check the Howgozit board and see which SLUFs are ready to go. If there are any, I'll file the flight plan and check with Range Control if they've got any space for us to play. It may take up to an hour, so you can hang out in the instructor's lounge. Turn left out the door and third door on your right. Oh and one last thing. No familiars for this flight" Ham stated.

"Okay, I'll meet you in the lounge and NO familiars for this flight!" Audrey replied brightly.

Audrey found the lounge, picked a comfortable looking chair, and began to leaf through a recent copy of A _viation Week including Space Technology._ She soon became engrossed in an article about the upcoming fly-off competition between the new YA-10 Striker and a newly updated A-7D Striker.

After about a half hour, Ham came sweeping in, carrying, charts, notebooks and a flight computer.

"Let's go, Boings! We've got a tight window to squeeze you in, so we've got to move. 572 is out on the tarmac, loaded, fueled, and ready. We're going to be using Range 75 East for your testing. It should be set up and ready for us to use. We've got priority if we move now." Ham announced, dumping the load he was carrying on the lounge table.

Before she knew it, Audrey found herself strapped into the cockpit of an A-7D, waiting for take off clearance. In a few minutes, she was at Range 75 East, listening to Ham and another instructor, putting her though the final practicum. Each stage of the test came in rapid fire fashion, with none of the normal pauses between stages. By the time she was finished, all the ejector racks were empty, and she was getting the warnings of bingo fuel. She turned around and got directed to land.

After landing and taxiing to the 66th's hanger area, Audrey shut down the engine, opened the canopy and slowly exited the cockpit. She was sore, exhausted, and just generally worn out. She stumbled to the instructor's lounge, got a cup of coffee, and slumped in one of the chairs.

Ham came sweeping in, a number of papers in his hand.

"Congrats, Boings! You've passed, and I've got your graduation paperwork here. Good job!" Ham announced, expansively.

"Great. So when do I go back to the 67th?" Audrey asked in a tired voice.

"The admin jockeys are ginning up your orders as we speak. You should be able to report back tomorrow morning, if they get them here soon." Ham replied.

"Have you seen Major Robinson?" Audrey asked.

"Danger? Haven't seen him since this morning. I think he's been in conference all day with the Commandant." Ham replied.

"You're his girlfriend, right? Some guys get all the luck, having a beautiful Strike Witch as a girlfriend.

Good for him. I hope he'll be good to you" Ham continued.

"Oh, I was hoping to see him today." Audrey replied, in a disappointed tone.

"I wouldn't worry about it. He mentioned he had a hot date tonight, so I think you'll see him, once he concludes his business with the Commandant." Ham proclaimed, brightly.

There was a knock at the door of the lounge, and Ham went to answer it. He was there for a couple of minutes. He came back into the lounge, holding another sheaf of papers.

"Here you go, Boings! Your orders sending you back home, along with all your graduation paperwork! Say hi to JJ for me!" Ham exclaimed.

Audrey got up, took all the paperwork from Ham, and tiredly made her way out the door. Looking at her orders, she saw that she didn't need to report back until tomorrow. She drove back to the BOQ, and dragged herself to her room. She stripped off all of her clothes, undid her hair and ran the shower until it was steaming. She scrubbed herself down vigorously, and carefully shampooed and conditioned her hair. Audrey slumped against shower stall wall, letting the hot water pour over her. She rolled her head, hearing and feeling the vertebrae in her neck pop. She shrugged her shoulders, feeling her joints pop, and the muscles stretch painfully. After a while, she got out of the shower, dried off, wrapped a towel around herself and then wrapped her hair with another towel. Audrey came out of the bathroom and laid down on her bed. Worn out and physically spent, she soon fell asleep.

The shrill ringing of the phone snapped her instantly awake. She snatched up the receiver and announced "Gains here."

"Audrey, are y'all okay?" a slow unhurried baritone voice drawled in her ear.

"Will! I'm fine. Are you okay? I heard you were in conference with the Commandant all day! What's going on?" Audrey asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"Ah'm fine, just had a long conversation with General Selfridge. He had some ideas on mah career plans, since Ah just got promoted, and he wanted to discuss some things. Can we all talk about it over dinner tonight?" Will asked.

"Sure, does the O club sound okay? It's seafood night." Audrey replied.

"Sounds good to me. Meet y'all there at 1800?" Will inquired.

"1800 sounds fine" Audrey said, glancing at her new clock and seeing it was not quite 1715 yet.

"Good, Ah'll see y'all then" Will said brightly as he hung up.

Audrey got dressed, deciding to go for casual. That meant a bra, a squadron T-shirt, blue bikini shorts, golf socks and running shoes. She unwrapped her hair, and carefully worked through the tangles, brushing it out and pulling it back into a hasty ponytail. She put some moisturizing sunscreen on her face, throat, the back of her neck, arms and legs, followed by an application of Chapstik on her lips. She put on her dog tags and chronometer, grabbed her wallet and keys and then left.

Meeting Will at the Officer's club, they were quickly seated, and ordered their dinner. Audrey looked at Will, and her stomach unclenched as her tension lessened, seeing him relaxed and at ease.

"So Will, what did the Commandant want to talk about your career that was so important?" Audrey asked.

"Well, he mentioned that the Pentagon has started implementing AirLand Battle 2000. Because of that, they want to take advantage of mah experience as a pilot and FAC, and switch mah career field to become an Air Battle Manager. He talked about sending me to Air Weapons Controller School, and then to Air Command and Staff College. It would be about a year, taking both courses concurrently. From there, he mentioned that I would probably be on the staff of one of the first Air Support Operations Centers, most likely with III Corps at Ft Hood. From there, the Commandant mentioned that would most likely be the fast track to possible numbered Air Force Command. He said that it's an offer, and that I was free to decide how Ah want to go" Will explained, an edge of excitement in his voice.

Audrey sat there, stunned. If Will was on the command fast track, she'd probably be left behind, even if she was a Strike Witch marked for advancement. That would mean her dream of flying with Will would probably remain that, just a dream. She knew, that when a senior officer offered a chance for advancement like this, framed as an offer that can be declined, you'd better take it, or see any further career advancement curtailed. She tamped down her disappointment and pasted on a bright smile, trying her best to show enthusiasm and support for Will.

"That's wonderful, Will! I'm so happy for you! When do need to give the Commandant an answer?" Audrey asked.

"He said he needed an answer by the end of the week." Will replied.

"Then you'd better tell him yes tomorrow. Opportunities like this come along only once." Audrey declared.

"Well, what about you, Audrey? You're the newest of the Two-Winged Witches, and there's only about 100 of them in all of the Air Force. Everyone else is either an instructor in the program or an O-6 and above. Things seem to be opening up for you as well." Will observed.

"But I'm not on the track to command a numbered Air Force and general's stars!" Audrey protested.

"You're on the track for squadron command, Wing command, and general's stars, as well yourself." Will pointed out.

Their dinners arrived and they spent the rest of the time eating. When they left the club, Will turned to Audrey and looked her straight in the eye.

"Don't worry so much. Ah'm certain things can be worked out. As it is, both of our careers are on the brink of flourishing. We all will take it as it comes and go from there. It'll be okay." Will reassured her, as he brushed a kiss on her cheek and left.

The next morning, Audrey went to base administration, carrying her pay, medical and personnel records. She got her TDY pay straightened around, acknowledged her return to Nellis and got her orders reassigning her back to the 67th confirmed.

Arriving back at the 67th's main building, Audrey reported in to Danno and found herself sitting in front of her in her office.

"So, Boings, how did it go? Looks like you graduated early. Guess you must be some kind of flying whiz." Danno said.

"It was kind of strange, in some ways totally different, and in some ways familiar. I got to do so many things that I've never done flying a Striker, and I got an appreciation for how non-magic pilots manage to do so many things. I found myself being envious of them and how much firepower they have available. The training on precision guided weapons was a whole new world, and it was exciting to hear more and better is coming. But, it's good to be back and I'm looking to taking on a new class soon." Audrey declared.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Boings. But with the new class cycle starting next week, all of the classes have already been allocated. However, we've still got a job for you. Candy Kessler just received orders sending her to Kiwiland as an attache`. So we need a new deputy Ops Officer. I think you'll do fine, and it's a great way to get your feet wet in what it takes to run the squadron." Danno replied, with a smirk.

Audrey groaned internally. She hated paperwork, even if that seemed to be what the Air Force ran on. She sighed to herself. If paperwork is the job she'd be doing, there's no avoiding it.

"Okay ma'am. I'll take the job." Audrey said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Danno threw her head back and laughed out loud.

"Well you don't have to be so enthusiasitc about it, Boings! Don't worry, you'll do just fine! Oh, and you'll have to move into Candy's old office in the Ops Corridor." Danno answered, still keeping a smirk on her face.

"I'd better get going about moving my stuff, ma'am" Audrey said as she stood.

"I look forward to you coming into the Ops side and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask Thumper or the XO. You're dismissed, Boings. Welcome Back!" Danno repaid, as she stood and returned Audrey's salute.

That was two months ago. Audrey fit in well with Ops, quickly picking up the routine and procedures. Thumper was easy to get along with and eager to teach Audrey what she needed to know. Audrey quickly learned what authority and responsibility she had, as well as the limitations to each. She still itched to teach and fly, but she got some satisfaction on getting things done for the Squadron, and helping the other instructors get the material, resources, and other things they needed to teach their lessons. It still didn't lessen her hatred of paperwork any.

The phone rang, and Audrey picked it up

"67th Squadron Ops, Captain Gains here" Audrey said.

"Boings, this is Danno. Just want to let you know that I've approved your leave request. You've got the two weeks after Labor Day you requested. Hope you have fun!" Danno's voice replied cheerily.

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate it and I certainly will!" Audrey said back.

She touched the hook and dialed another number.

"Commandant's staff. Major Robinson here" answered a slow unhurried baritone drawl.

"Will, it's Audrey. Just wanted to let you know that my leave request went through, and we are set for the two weeks after Labor Day!" Audrey announced brightly.

"Great! Ah'll take care of the flight reservations and we are ready to go! Talk to you later!" Will said in an equally bright tone.

Audrey hung up the phone. She sat there, hoping the trips to visit each other's family back to back would go well. _Can't worry about that now. Gotta get the training ammo allocations approved._ She thought, as she turned back to the paperwork in front of her.


End file.
